


Running Down a Dream

by indiepjones46



Series: Time in a Bottle [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Barebacking, Biting, Bonus Chapter POV Leonard Snart, Bottom Barry, Dom/sub Undertones, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Sex, Handcuffs, Kidnapping, M/M, Marking, Nine Inch Nails reference, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Barry Allen, Pining, Porny porn porn, Possessive Behavior, Rimming, Sexy Times, Spoilers, Top Leonard Snart, What Have I Done, coldflash - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-09-02 21:49:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 28,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8684686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indiepjones46/pseuds/indiepjones46
Summary: Three months after he was forced to leave Len behind, Barry Allen's life is in shambles. Iris isn't speaking to him, Caitlin almost killed him when her powers took over, and Cisco is angry with him after the revelation that Dante was alive before Flashpoint. Barry has never felt so alone in his life, and the absence of Len haunts his every waking moment.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Don't own or profit from anything relating to this show or characters. Just borrowing them for the feels.
> 
> 2\. No beta. Just me. I'll fix any little mistakes on the read through.
> 
> 3\. I don't normally like to post chapters as I write them, but I'm breaking my rule again. I do try to post at least a chapter or more a day, though, so keep checking back or subscribe! Thank you for any and all feedback and kudos. You guys are so amazingly supportive!  
> ***This story picks up roughly after The Flash Season 3 Episode 7 "Killer Frost". From this point forward, my plot will likely deviate quite a bit from the show, so be prepared for that. Sexy times must happen, and that means that Len has to come back!***

“Barry, I’m getting an alert about a robbery in progress at Central City Bank on Highland Avenue,” a voice crackled over the com built into Barry’s suit.

Barry continued to run, zipping aimlessly through the streets of Central City, with one special destination in mind. He just needed to be alone. “Any reports of metahuman activity or specialized weaponry?” he asked, his voice monotone.

There was a pause before Cisco’s voice answered him. “No, there’s no metas involved, and no reports of a cold gun or gold gun involved.”

Barry didn’t even pause as he reached the outskirts of the city. “CCPD can handle it. Let me know if it gets out of hand and I’ll be there, but otherwise, I’m taking the day off.”

“Barry,” Cisco’s voice was cautious and measured. “What if someone gets hurt because The Flash wasn’t on hand to help? The police may be able to use your help in settling this without casualties.”

Barry slid to a stop in front of the now familiar little house on the outskirts of the city. Over the past three months, he had been there often, but it always remained silent and empty. Just like his heart. “If you’re that worried about it, Cisco, then why don’t you or Caitlin offer a hand? Both of you have powers, too.”

Radio silence. Barry knew he’d gone too far by bringing up Caitlin’s new and unstable Killer Frost powers, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. The past three months since he had returned from saving Leonard Snart’s life had been rocky to say the least. The consequences of creating Flashpoint were making themselves known in all sorts of unexpected and terrible ways, and all of Barry’s relationships were falling apart. He had never felt so alone and bereft in his life, but instead of confiding in his friends and family, he found himself pushing them all away.

As Barry walked up to the front door, he finally added, “Look, I’m sorry, Cisco. I’m just not in the right headspace right now to help. Call me if there’s another meta attack via Alchemy, but otherwise, I just want to be alone.”

Without waiting for a reply, he pressed the button on his com to silence it and slipped around the house to let himself in the back door with the key he’d had made. Once inside the house, memories rushed over him until his knees buckled, but he forced himself to walk through each and every room. The kitchen where he and Len had eaten meals was sparkling clean, but the cabinets and refrigerator were now empty of perishable food. The living room was tidy, but the black leather jacket was gone from the wingback chair where it had remained those four days. The bathroom was bare, and so was Mick’s room, but Barry didn’t spare them a glance as he headed toward the room he had shared with Len.

Barry stood in the doorway, hesitant to enter, even though he had been here a dozen times or more since the last time he’d seen Len. With slow, measured steps, he made his way to the bed and lowered himself to lie across the faded quilt. Even though he knew it was pointless, he turned to bury his nose in the pillow and breathed deep, but the man’s scent had been erased by the fading aroma of laundry detergent. Barry’s heart squeezed in his chest and he closed his eyes tight against the pain, but still he lay there and remembered. If he turned on his side, he could almost imagine the feel of Len’s big, strong body curled up behind him with an arm thrown over Barry’s waist. If he tried hard enough, he could still feel the brush of Len’s lips against his throat or the pressure of the man’s fingertips digging for purchase in Barry’s hips.

He knew he shouldn’t even be there. Len had been very specific about not looking back when he had ordered Barry to go home, and Barry had listened to him. At first. That first month back after being with Len outside of time had been one catastrophe after another. His budding relationship with Iris had crashed and burned, and they were barely on speaking terms after Barry had been unable to explain why he couldn’t stomach the touch of her hand or the kiss of her lips. Caitlin’s emerging powers had unleashed all her pent up anger and rage at Barry’s interference in the timeline, and Cisco’s friendship had cooled considerably with the revelation that his brother had been alive before Flashpoint. Joe was frustrated with Barry’s melancholy moods, and Wally’s new speedster abilities had only driven another wedge between them.

And now, Barry found himself without his job at CCPD forensics thanks to that insufferable ass, Julian. He had blackmailed Barry into quitting in exchange for keeping Caitlin’s identity as Killer Frost a secret, and Barry had no choice but to accept his terms. Now, some crazy, invincible speed god name Savitar was gunning for Barry’s blood, too, and he was somehow tied to Dr. Alchemy who was creating new metahumans that had only had powers during Flashpoint. He had never felt as low in his life as he did in this moment, and all he wanted to do was to bury his face in Len’s neck and forget the world for a while. But he couldn’t have even that, because Len was gone.

Barry had found himself running through the city, day and night, searching for any trace of Len or his sister, Lisa, but all of the Rogues’ haunts had been empty and the computers weren’t picking up any trace of the man’s cold gun. It seemed that Len had left the city, and Barry, for good this time. Barry had found himself sitting at the bar at Saints and Sinners, nursing a beer, and watching the door. He knew he stuck out like a sore thumb there, but no one hassled him, and in fact, seemed to give him a wide berth. Anytime he tried to ask one of the regulars if they had seen Snart, they all shook their heads and backed away quickly.

Barry wasn’t sure how long he lay there in the bed as he relived every moment of those magical four days with Len, but eventually, the com crackled to life again, and Cisco said, “Barry, you’re needed back at S.T.A.R. Labs immediately. We’ve got an emergency.”

With a heavy, long-suffering sigh, Barry got to his feet and compulsively straightened out the quilt until the wrinkles were gone. With one final look around, he left the house and raced back toward the labs without any real enthusiasm. There was always another emergency, another metahuman out of control, or a situation that needed The Flash to intervene. The difference between now and then, though, was that his heart just wasn’t in it anymore. Because he had left it behind in that house with Len.


	2. Chapter 2

When he skidded to a stop in the middle of the lab, Barry glanced around in confusion. There were no alarms blaring, no one was rushing around or yelling about an attack, and Caitlin and Cisco were standing stiffly in the middle of the room. Barry pulled back the cowl on his suit and glanced back and forth between his friends in confusion.

“I thought you said there was an emergency? What’s happened?” Barry asked, spinning around to look for Joe, Wally, or H.R. who were all conspicuously absent.

Cisco looked to Caitlin and she took a deep breath before replying, “ _You_ are the emergency, Barry. We wanted to talk to you about what happened when you were gone on that mission to save Snart’s life.”

Barry took a step back and prepared to run back out the door. Before he could go, though, Cisco called out, “Don’t you do it, Barry. You owe us a debt. Both of us have suffered thanks to your decisions involving Flashpoint, and we’re calling in our markers. You haven’t been the same since you came back from that place, and we want to know why.”

Barry gritted his teeth and bit back the sharp words that sprang to his lips. Cisco was right that Barry owed them, but the thought of baring his soul like that to anyone made his stomach clench and heart squeeze. The pain was still too fresh, his emotions too raw, to be able to control them, and his relationships with his two friends were not at their best at the moment. What kind of reaction could he expect from them if he were to confess everything? Would it only create more distance between the three of them if he were to admit to his affair with Len?

When Barry remained stubbornly silent with his hazel eyes glued to the floor at their feet, Caitlin closed the distance between them and hesitantly picked up Barry’s gloved hand to cradle inside her own. “Barry, we’re worried about you. All of us are worried about you, but Cisco and I are the only ones that know you left on that mission. Even though it seemed like you were gone only minutes to us, we know something drastic happened to change you this much. We want to help you, but you have to tell us what happened first.”

Barry’s fingers squeezed Caitlin’s reflexively before he dropped her hand. When he had arrived back in the lab that night, he had only been gone for two minutes by his friends’ clock. They had been shocked to see him back so soon, but Barry had only told them his mission was a success before running away once more. No matter how many times they had tried to question him or pry for more information, Barry had refused to relent. And then, when everything had begun to crumble around him, he had retreated into himself even more until he had felt like a shell of his former self.

Barry glanced past Caitlin to meet Cisco’s dark brown eyes. “It doesn’t matter. It’s over and in the past. Talking about it will do no good for anyone. I just need some time…” Barry trailed off with a dark chuckle. “Time. What a joke.” His voice dripped with scorn and bitterness.

Cisco’s face was a mask of careful neutrality as he asked, “How long were you really gone, Barry? Where did you go? What did you see? Who were you with and what happened to you?”

The speed force inside of Barry began to cycle with restless energy. Since he had left Len behind all those months ago, he could never seem to find respite from its constant racing. Barry had slept little, catching small naps here and there, but always ended up running in order to appease his restlessness. Running helped him forget, allowed him to stop feeling, and just experience the rush of wind against his face. But as soon as he stopped, his emotions would crash over him again, the pain would rip through his guts like the sharpest blade, and the speed force would take over his body with electric currents that threatened to tear him apart. It had never been this out of control since those early first days, and Barry was at a loss on how to quiet it without Len’s help.

Barry paced away from his friends so he wouldn’t have to see their pitying looks. “I was gone for four days,” he finally admitted into the tense silence.

Caitlin sucked in a shocked breath before exclaiming, “Four days? Barry, why didn’t you tell us? Where were you all that time?”

Barry sighed heavily. He knew they would never stop asking questions, and there was really no point in keeping the details to himself anymore. Even though spilling his tale would change nothing, at least it would stop them prying any further so that Barry could go back to being alone. “After I rescued Len-I mean, Snart-the Oculus exploded and sent our ship careening through the time stream. We were eventually able to stabilize our ship, but the turbulence pushed us off course. We arrived back in Central City four days before we left.”

“Wait a minute,” Cisco demanded, his hand held up to stop him. “Are you telling us that you were here in Central City for four days and you didn’t tell us about it?”

Barry whirled to face his best friend. “What would you have had me do, Cisco? Huh? Should I have called you up and said, ‘Oh, hey, by the way, the me from four days in the future is here in the city, but I can’t come back because the me from now is already there and none of this will make sense to you anyway until four days from now.’” Barry scoffed and rolled his eyes. “We had no choice but to stay hidden for those four days, or we could have thrown the timeline off even further.”

“We?” Caitlin echoed with a question in her voice. “Who were you with, Barry?”

Barry felt all the blood drain from his face and he wobbled before regaining his bearings. “It was just me and Len, alone, in a Rogues safe house on the outskirts of the city.”

Cisco’s voice was quiet in the silence of the cavernous room. “Is that where you’ve been going every time you turn off your com and GPS? You’ve been going back to the safe house? Why, Bare? Is he still there or something?”

Barry shook his head and swallowed past the baseball lodged in his throat. “No. He’s gone.”

A ghost of a touch brought Barry back from that desolate place of loss. Barry glanced down to see Caitlin’s soft brown eyes creased with concern. “Barry, did he hurt you?”

Barry’s lips quirked at the corner as he remembered the feel of Len’s teeth in his shoulder while the man fucked him with hard, punishing thrusts of his cock. “In a manner of speaking, but not in the way you think.”

“I don’t understand. What happened to you in that house with Leonard Snart over those four days that has affected so much?” Caitlin queried gently.

Barry took a deep breath and let it slowly. He was not ashamed of anything that had happened in that house, so he met each of their eyes in turn as he said, “We were intimate with each other. Very, very intimate.”

Caitlin sucked in a shocked breath and Cisco’s eyes widened. “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he exclaimed, pacing closer to where Barry was standing. “Are you telling me that you did the dirty with Captain Cold?”

Flames of rage licked up Barry’s spine and he snarled, “No, Cisco. I had sex with Len. Not Captain Cold. There’s a big difference there, and you should remember that before you say another word.”

Cisco took a big step back in the face of Barry’s uncharacteristic wrath and held his hand up in a staying gesture. “Sorry,” he hastened to say. “I was just taken aback for a minute. I didn’t mean anything by it, and I’m not judging you here, buddy.”

Barry closed his eyes and threw his head back. “No, I’m the one that’s sorry, man. I shouldn’t have taken your head off like that. I’m fully aware of how all this sounds.”

Caitlin’s hand slipped back into Barry’s and she led him over to a seat and gently pushed him to sit. Barry allowed her to fuss over him, but his eyes were trained on where Cisco was watching him warily. “Look, Barry,” Cisco began, his tone conciliatory, “We’re just trying to play catch-up here. The last thing we knew was that Snart was your enemy, but now you’re telling us that you two are physically involved with each other. We’re just trying to understand, okay?”

“Were involved,” Barry corrected quietly. “I had no choice but to come back, and he had to disappear to keep him and Lisa safe from discovery by the Time Masters. I haven’t seen him or heard from him since that night.”

“But, you’ve been looking for him, haven’t you?” Caitlin interjected. “That’s where you’ve been running to when you weren’t here or working with Joe, right?”

Barry blinked rapidly and nodded. “He’s nowhere to be found in Central City. I’ve checked multiple times. Len is gone.”

“Oh, Barry,” Caitlin sighed heavily as she pushed a lock of his brunette hair away from his forehead. “You fell in love with him. That’s why you pushed Iris away, that’s why you never sleep, and that’s why you’re in so much pain.”

Her kindness and understanding was too much for Barry to handle. He dropped his face into his gloved hands as his body shook from the swelling speed force and the strain of holding back tears. Caitlin pulled him into her body and wrapped her arms around his quaking form as he choked out, “I tried so hard not to, Cait. He even warned me not to develop feelings for him, but I couldn’t help myself. Len is so different from that cold, drawling criminal that we all knew. He’s so freaking smart and funny, and even without being a metahuman, he is the most powerful man I’ve ever known. He made me feel things I didn’t even know were possible, and he changed me with just the touch of his hands and the words from his lips.”

Caitlin rubbed comforting circles across Barry’s back as she replied, “I know what you’re going through right now, Barry. I’ve known that kind of love with Ronnie, and I lost him twice. I thought I would never come back from that place of despair and loss, but it gets easier with time. Do you know what helped me get through it, though?” When Barry shook his head against her shoulder, she continued, “My friends. You and Cisco, Harry and Joe, and even Iris were right there to shore me up and keep me going. Don’t push us away, Barry. Let us help you.”

Barry pulled away from her embrace reluctantly and scrubbed his face. “I have no right to expect anything but contempt from you guys. I fucked up big time when I created Flashpoint, and all of your lives are the worse for it. I can only be grateful that saving Len’s life didn’t change anything in this timeline that I have found.”

“That’s not true, Bare,” Cisco interrupted him quietly. Barry looked up to see his friend standing closely in front of him. “Saving his life did change things. For you, for Iris, and I’m betting for him, too. You need to stop punishing yourself, man. No matter what powers you have or how fast you can run, you’re still human. You’re still our friend, and we care about you.”

Hearing Cisco’s words was like a balm to Barry’s tortured soul. The look of betrayal that had crossed his friend’s face when he had learned that Dante had been alive before Flashpoint had convinced Barry that their friendship would never be the same. Now, however, a spark of hope ignited inside him. Barry cleared his throat and replied hoarsely, “Thanks, Cisco. You don’t know how much I needed to hear that.”

“If you want me to, I can track him down. I can find him for you, Barry,” Cisco offered.

Barry shook his head sadly. “No, but thank you for the offer. Len was right when he said that our time together was over. Just a dream within a dream. I have to be The Flash for Central City, and he had to disappear. Just because I want something this badly, doesn’t mean I get to have it. You would have thought I would have learned that lesson by now.”

Caitlin squeezed his shoulder and said warmly, “Why don’t you change out of that suit and get some regular clothes on. It’s lunchtime and I think we all need to make our way to the Chinese restaurant for some lo mein. What do you say?”

Barry nodded agreeably even though he wasn’t in the least hungry. His body still required fuel, and with all the running he’d been doing lately, he couldn’t afford to grow weak because of hunger. With a flash of lightning, the suit was back in the display case and Barry stood before his friends wearing jeans and a sweater.

Cisco offered him a tentative smile and said, “Come on, I’ll buy since some of us no longer have a paycheck. Too bad being The Flash doesn’t come with more perks.”

Caitlin winced at the joke, but Barry forced himself to chuckle. “You know, someone once told me that being a hero pays for shit, but I like the benefits just fine.”

As they left the labs together to go get lunch, Barry was surprised to find that his burden seemed marginally lighter now that he had shared it with his friends. He just wished that the ache of loneliness and the desperate yearning for Len would ease, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Ok, looks like we're off to a good start here! Stay tuned for more coming soon!***


	3. Chapter 3

A week later, Barry found himself sitting at the bar sipping a soda at Saints and Sinners. By now, he had been to the bar so frequently that the bartender knew him by name and no longer glared at him with distrust. Darlene was one of those women that Cisco would have said looked like she’d been “rode hard and put up wet” with her weather-beaten skin, smoke-stained teeth, and tattooed boobs that never seemed to want to stay inside the neckline of her skimpy top. Over the past three months, Barry had struck up something of an understanding with her, paved by the generosity of his tips, and she humored his attempts at polite conversation by shoving a bowl of stale popcorn at him and telling him to quit being so nosey.

Barry tried to tell himself that he wasn’t there looking for Len this time, but in his secret heart of hearts, he knew it wasn’t true. No matter where he went in Central City, it was with the main purpose of looking for his lover, but this time at least, he did have ulterior motives. Petty crimes in Central City were reaching an alarming rate, and it appeared that most of them were somehow connected. Even the bank robbery that he had neglected to help out with a week before seemed to be part of this new crime wave, but the one thing that the cops of CCPD all agreed upon was that none of the criminals ever used deadly force to commit their crimes.

At first, the thefts and heists all seemed random and unconnected, but when several of the perps had been apprehended, all of them were found with unique gold coins on their person. The coins were roughly the size of quarters, but instead of a dead president stamped on the front, there was only a jagged lightning bolt. Once CCPD realized the connection, the detectives in Major Crimes began scouring the city for more evidence and found the coins spread out over the city in pawn shops, jewelers, and banks. Each criminal that was arrested with them on their possession was questioned for hours, but none of them would give up the source of their wealth, only stating that they were more afraid of “The Boss” than they were of going to jail. They soon found out why when two men who had robbed a jewelry store and killed the guard were found on the steps of CCPD, shot dead, with the gold coins covering their eyes.

Curiosity had gotten the better of Barry, which happened frequently now that he was jobless, and he had “borrowed” one of the coins from CCPD evidence to take to Cisco for testing. After running several different tests, Cisco had deemed the coin to be pure 24K gold, and before Barry could ask, he had added, “I don’t think this is from Lisa’s gold gun, Bare. This coin is pure gold, and her gun only gilds solid objects. It’s not completely out of the question, but it would take a lot of resources to be able to melt and cast these coins.”

Barry couldn’t let it go. It was the first possible lead he’d had in over three months concerning Len, and something told him that the lightning bolt on the coins was a message for him alone. He needed to get to the bottom of this new criminal enterprise, because the mere suggestion that Lisa Snart could be behind it meant that her brother may not be far behind her. With that goal in mind, Barry had arrived at the bar that evening intent on watching the clientele and asking questions. As per usual, though, he was met with distrust and open hostility, but strangely, no one threatened him or tried to assault him.

After two hours of fruitless inquiry, Barry was just about to leave when Darlene motioned him toward the back of the bar with the tilt of her head and raised eyebrows. Barry’s heart began to race, and he hoped she was going to give him actual information this time instead of propositioning him again. With casual disinterest, he followed the older woman to a back room where she closed the door after scanning the bar to make sure they weren’t being watched.

“What’s up, Darlene?” Barry asked, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. “If you’re going to offer me another free blow job, I’m afraid I’m going to have to pass.”

Her brightly rouged lips curled with a sardonic smile. “You don’t know what you’re missing, babycakes, but no, that’s not why I pulled you back here. I like you, Barry, so I’mma do you a solid. You need to stop coming in here and asking so many questions. You been making the regulars nervous, and the owner is none too pleased about it. You need to leave this bar and never come back, you hear me?”

Barry’s ears perked and he replied eagerly, “The owner of Saints and Sinners? I don’t think I’ve ever met them before. Why would they care if I’m asking questions? Are they involved in the gold coin crime ring? Who is the owner, Darlene? Can I talk to them?”

Darlene shook her head sadly. “Oh, honey, you didn’t hear a word I just said, didja? I need you to promise me that you will leave here tonight and forget all about this place. Go back to your cozy normal life and leave the trash to take care of itself. You don’t belong here, baby, and if you stay, something bad is sure to happen to you.”

Barry scoffed and offered the haggard, faded beauty a smile. “Don’t you worry about me, Darlene. I’m a lot tougher than I look, and I can take care of myself. Now, how do I find the owner of this bar? I have some questions I need answered.”

Darlene’s eyes turned sad and she reached out a gnarled finger to trace down Barry’s chest. She sighed heavily and said, “At least I can tell him I tried. I’m real sorry about this, sugar.”

Barry frowned and replied, “Sorry about what, Dar-“

A whisper of movement behind him alerted him half a second too late. Barry cried out and his body seized as 50,000 volts of electricity hit his spine like a Mac truck. He fell to the floor like a sack of flour, and no matter how hard he tried to get his legs to move, they would not obey him. Before his chemistry to could repair the damage, there was a snick of metal as his hands were cuffed in thick restraints that glowed with a familiar blue light. Barry’s head spun with the loss of his powers as Cisco’s specialized handcuffs for metahumans did their job of disconnecting him from the speed force and rendering him completely human.

Barry blinked his eyes until they focused on the concerned face of his betrayer. Darlene squatted down to his level and gently brushed his hair back from his forehead. A flash of gold peeked out from the depths of her cleavage where a gold coin was nestled between her breast and bra. “I tried to warn you, Barry. The Boss is not happy with you. I just hope he doesn’t ruin this pretty face of yours. Good luck, baby. You’re going to need it.”

Barry’s tongue was thick and swollen in his mouth, and before he could summon a reply, lights exploded behind his eyes as the butt of a gun crashed against his temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I'll definitely try to post more later this evening, but for now, I have to do some actual work at my job before my boss catches me slacking off! I write fast, so I will try not to keep you waiting too long between chapters!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooohhhh...you're gonna like this one!

Barry came back to consciousness in fits and spurts. The first time he woke, he was lying in the back of some kind of transport vehicle. His eyes were covered by a blindfold, a foul-tasting gag was tied around his mouth, and his hands were cuffed behind his back. The floorboard was hard and cold under his cheek, but that didn’t stop his stomach from rolling and pitching until he gagged. Thankfully, his metabolism was so fast that there was nothing left in his stomach to expel, but the gagging caused his head to detonate with pain that blessedly knocked him back out again.

The next time Barry came to, he was being lifted from the back of the vehicle by two burly men who grunted and complained about his dead weight. He still felt woozy and his head was still pounding from the crack he took against his temple, but he was able to pick up on new clues as to his surroundings. The low, deep blare of a fog horn and the smell of wet, rotting fish told him he was likely being taken somewhere close to the water. His suspicions were confirmed when he was able to hear the slap of the sea against a pier and the clanging of a buoy.

Barry’s stomach continued to roil as the two men hauled him stretched out between them. One of the gruff voices said, “I wonder what The Boss wants with this scrawny kid anyways. He shoulda just let me shoot the little shit when I offered.”

The other man huffed and puffed as he lugged Barry by his shoulders. “You know the rules, dumbass. No killin’.”

Dumbass replied sarcastically, “Yeah, tell that to Mikey and Pascual, jackass.”

Jackass shot back, “They broke the rules by killin’ that guard, so they have no one to blame but themselves. Quit yer yappin’ and let’s get this kid inside. I’m starving.”

Barry drifted in and out as Dumbass and Jackass hauled him through a doorway that cut off the sounds of outside and traversed through several other doors and hallways until they dumped him unceremoniously on a small, bare mattress. Barry couldn’t bite back the moan of pain behind his gag at the jarring of his head, and both men hastily exited the room and slammed the door behind them. Barry rolled to his side and gagged again and desperately tried to separate the large cuffs that were joined together behind his back.

He could make out voices in the hallway, but they were too muffled for him to hear more than a few disjointed words such as _“…he said no blood…”_ and _“…gave you specific instructions…”_ and _“… I would run before he returns…”_ Barry couldn’t make out anything else before the door opened once more. Barry scrambled to try to right himself, but he only succeeded in rolling himself off the bed to hit the floor with painful thud.

“Easy there, kid,” the new, unfamiliar male voice said, not unkindly. “The pain'll stop in a few.”

Barry didn’t believe him, but he had no way of defending himself in his current predicament. He could sense the man squatting next to him before a sharp prick of pain to his neck caused him to yell behind his gag. A heavy lethargy swept over him and Barry slipped back into unconsciousness.

Barry came back to himself slowly as he pushed against the heavy fog of the drug. His eyes were still covered, but now he found himself prostrate on his back on top of a comfortable bed with his hands bound to the headboard above his head. Barry worked his jaw, at least grateful for the absence of the disgusting rag they had gagged him with, and swallowed until the dryness of his tongue was eased. He worked his head from side to side, and was pleasantly surprised to find the terrible ache in his head was completely gone, but then again, so were his shoes and socks.

He heard the rustling of cloth and he stiffened when the same voice from before rumbled, “Don’t worry, kid. I’m not going to hurt you. Boss’s orders. Your head feeling better? Boss said to release the cuffs long enough to let your wounds heal, but I had to put them back on before you woke.”

Barry didn’t know if the guy expected him to be grateful, or what, but he better not hold his breath on that score. Barry cleared his throat and croaked, “Who are you? What do you want with me?”

The bed dipped next to his hip as the unknown man settled his weight. “Me? I’m nobody, kid. Just another cog in the machine, so to say, but a little more trustworthy than most, I reckon. I’m just doing the job I was paid to do is all. You thirsty? I got some water here if you want it. I promise it’s not tainted with nothin’. The Boss is real particular about how you’re to be treated.”

Barry snorted his opinion of that statement, but he nodded his head anyway. At this point, he didn’t care if it was poisoned; his mouth was like a desert wasteland. The man leaned forward to fit a bendy straw to Barry’s lips, and he sucked down huge mouthfuls of the sweet, cool water until there was nothing but air left remaining in the cup. Barry lay his head back with a sigh and tested the hold of the cuffs on his wrists. If he could just get his powers back, he would be gone before they knew it.

“Don’t reckon those special cuffs got any give to ‘em. Not sure where The Boss got a hold of ‘em, but I’m guessing they’re for those special metahumans you see on the news. I figgered as much when I saw how fast that gash on your head healed when I took ‘em off for a few. What kinda powers you got, kid?” the man asked, his tone without malice and full of curiosity.

Barry yanked his wrists hard, but had nothing to show for it but a shooting pain up both arms. “Let me out of these cuffs and I’ll show you.”

“Pssht, more’n my life’s worth if I do that. I ain’t that curious. I seen firsthand what The Boss does to people who break the rules. In fact, those two idiots that brought you here are finding out for themselves right now. I don’t reckon they’ll be disobeying his orders again anytime soon.” The man stood to his feet with a grunt of effort and Barry could hear his retreating footsteps. “May as well relax, kid. The Boss’ll be in to see ya in few.”

Barry stifled a growl as he heard a thick, heavy door slam shut behind the retreating flunky. While he waited for this mysterious “Boss” to make his appearance, he tested the limits of his prison. Cautiously, he sent each foot seeking outward, but was unable to reach the edge of the mattress, which meant that the bed he was strapped to was at least a queen size, if not a king. The fabric under his bare soles was soft to the touch, and the smell of laundry detergent teased his nose. With his eyes still blinded by fabric, he wasn’t able to tell much about his prison, but it was at least comfortably warm and without the rancid smell of the little room in which he had been previously dumped. By listening closely to his conversation with the strange lackey and mentally judging the distance he had walked to the door, Barry was also able to gather that the room was fairly large, but somewhat soundproofed to keep noises from echoing.

He wasn’t accurately able to judge time in his present condition, but it seemed like half an hour had passed before the click of the knob turning alerted him to the arrival of someone else. Barry’s heart pounded in his chest and he licked his lips as he listened to the door close and a lock snick into place. His nerves continued to ratchet higher as he followed the newcomer’s progress across the room by the sounds of heavy footfalls against the floor. The man didn’t speak as he strolled past the bed, and Barry’s ears perked at the noises of a faucet turning on and water splashing in a sink. Barry silently cursed his blindfold as the footsteps came closer to the bed where he was bound and helpless.

Unable to stay silent any longer, Barry blurted, “Who’s there? What are you going to do with me?”

The man didn’t answer, but Barry could tell that he was looming over top of him. Barry’s breaths came faster, and he flinched and pulled away with a cry when a steaming wet cloth touched his temple. The man was having none of it, though, and he grasped Barry’s chin in a punishing hold to keep him still while his other hand began running the hot washcloth over the healed skin where he had been hit with the butt of the gun. Barry didn’t know what to think about this new development, but he decided caution was the best course. He humored his captor by holding still and silent while the man wiped away the dried blood that had crusted into his hair and smeared across his face. Big, blunt fingers probed at the site of the healed wound when he was done, and seemingly satisfied, he retreated from the bed once more.

He flexed his fingers in the cuffs and shifted on the bed with nervous fear, but his rational mind reminded him that the man wouldn’t have wasted his time cleaning off dried blood if he were just going to turn around and kill him. As the man walked back toward the bed once more, Barry tried again to get the man to say something. Anything. “Are you going to get around to the part where you make your evil villain speech sometime soon? Because I got to tell you, man, I’m starving and my arms hurt like a bitch. So, either get on with the torture or feed me, because nothing can be worse than when my stomach growls.”

His only reply was an audible snort of air through the man’s nostrils. Despite Barry’s bravado, he was quaking inside, because without access to his powers, Barry was as good as toast. He fully understood that he was at the complete and utter mercy of his unknown captor who had already proven to be highly feared by his crew. As long as those cuffs were on his wrists, Barry knew that he was completely vulnerable to pain, blood, and death. From all accounts, the man standing silently over him was entirely capable of all three.

He sensed the man move and a decidedly unmanly yelp escaped Barry’s throat when a large, calloused palm slid under the hem of his button-down plaid shirt. The hand was cool and firm against Barry’s overheated skin as it bumped along the muscles of his clenched abs headed north. Panicking, Barry called out, “No! Stop!”

The hand immediately pulled away and retreated. Barry was panting with anxiety and adrenaline, but an insistent, niggling thought was pushing its way toward the surface of Barry’s consciousness. He knew the brush of those fingers. As the man waited patiently for Barry to get himself under control, desperate hope vied with fear of being wrong inside Barry’s mind. Like a ghost whispering in his ear, he heard Len’s voice say: _“Rule number two: I know what the word ‘no’ means, and any time you say it, I will immediately stop whatever it is I’m doing.”_ Barry could picture that moment in his mind’s eye so perfectly that he could still hear the inflection of Len’s voice, the smell of his cologne, and the feel of his solid weight pinning Barry to the couch.

Before he could catch his breath to speak, though, the hand cautiously returned. It followed the same path as before, but this time, over top of Barry’s shirt. Barry allowed the caress this time and sucked in a harsh breath as the man’s palm traveled up past Barry’s sternum and over his collarbone until it came to a rest encircling Barry’s throat in a firm but gentle grip.

Barry swallowed against the holster of the man’s hand and breathed, “Len?”

The rough-padded thumb brushed up and down against Barry’s racing pulse for endless seconds of eternity before a familiar voice answered roughly, “Well, at least you remembered one of my rules at any rate. I’m not so impressed with your track record on the others, Barry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Aarghhh! Cliffhanger! I know, y'all. I hate them, too, but I swear I am right back to writing as soon as I post this one. You'll have your next chapter sometime tomorrow, friends. Thank you for all your lovely support, comments, and kudos. It's so exciting to know that I can entertain someone other than myself!***


	5. Chapter 5

Barry’s breath rushed out with an audible _whoosh_ and the muscles along his arms and chest stretched to the max as his body strained toward the voice that had haunted his dreams, both sleeping and awake, over the past three months. “My God, Len,” Barry’s voice was wrecked and cracking with emotion. “What the hell is going on? Where have you been? What am I doing here?”

Len’s hand finally moved until he was cradling Barry’s jaw in his palm. His thumb brushed back and forth across Barry’s bottom lip, sending tingles of current running through his veins, until Len tired of that game and pressed his thumb between Barry’s teeth. Barry’s head swam with the rush of blood that abandoned his head to flood his cock with heat. Even though darkness stole his sight, he could still envision the cold blue flames of Len’s eyes as he looked down upon Barry blindfolded and bound and completely at his mercy. Barry couldn’t hold back the needy moan as he bit Len’s thumb before sucking away the sting.

Len’s chest rumbled with approval, and he removed his thumb to paint Barry’s lips until they gleamed. “Always in such a rush, Scarlet. Slow down. You’re not going anywhere any time soon. Give me just a few minutes to enjoy the fulfillment of all my darkest and most favorite fantasies.”

Barry’s nostrils flared and he arched his back against the pull of his bound hands until all the lean, wiry muscles of his arms, chest, and abdomen stood out in bas relief. Though part of him was incredibly turned on in the most primal way, another, louder, part of him was also getting very angry. With the little circulation left in his brain, he figured out that Len, his onetime _lover_ , was without a doubt the “Boss” everyone was so afraid of. The same man who had held Barry in his arms and fucked him with such fierce passion was the same man who had killed two men for murdering a guard during a heist Len had sanctioned. Len was the one who had ordered Barry kidnapped, cut off from his powers, and bashed on the head. The more Barry thought about it, the angrier and more hurt he became.

With angry tears clouding his blinded eyes, he lashed out with his right foot and caught Len square in the chest. Len grunted in surprise before he landed on the floor with a loud crash and a foul curse. Barry didn’t even wait for the man to regain his feet before he snarled, “This is your fantasy, Len? Sending one of your hired goons to taser me, cuff me, and split my skull open? Or was it your fantasy to drug me and spread me out on your bed like a pig on a spit?” Barry’s voice shook with his mounting fury as he continued, “Fuck you and your fantasies, Len. I only play those games with someone I can trust.”

Barry’s labored breaths caught on each inhale with the force of his emotions, but he was still aware of Len slowly lowering himself on the bed next to Barry’s ribs. His touch was light and hesitant as his fingertips ghosted across Barry’s cheek. Barry jerked his head away from Len’s fingers, but the man unerringly followed him to pull the blindfold away from Barry’s eyes.

He blinked rapidly as his pupils constricted to pinpoints even under the soft glow of a lamp next to the bed. Len’s features were still out of focus when the man said, “I deserved that, Barry. I won’t even contest it. Yes, it’s true that I ordered my men to take you if Darlene was unsuccessful in her quest to deter you. However, I gave them very specific instructions should the need arise, which was almost certainly guaranteed since I knew how you would react. They were supposed to sedate you with the drug, place the cuffs on you, and deliver you here to me completely unharmed. I was very specific about that, Barry. Unfortunately, they left the syringe behind and decided they would improvise. I just got done explaining to them the error of their ways.”

Barry’s heart began to slow and his breaths evened out as Len’s face finally came into focus. He was so fucking beautiful with those full lips, piercing gaze, and arched eyebrows. Barry’s entire body ached with the desire to touch him, but at the same time, he still nursed and cradled his hurt heart jealously. “Please, Len,” Barry whispered, “Please at least tell me that you didn’t kill them.”

Len’s lips quirked at the corner and he reached out to touch Barry’s stretched arm. From the corner of his sight, Barry could see that Len’s knuckles were swollen and red with small gashes that still oozed a little blood. “Of course I didn’t kill them. Believe it or not, Scarlet, but I have a very rigid code of morals. I am a man of my word. I make rules and I expect my people to abide by them like I do. If they follow the rules, they are paid very well. If they break the rules, they will suffer the consequences. I believe in an ‘eye for an eye’. I said to deliver you unharmed, and they broke the rule. Therefore, I ensured each of them received the same treatment you endured.” He paused to chuckle ruefully before he added, “Well, almost the same. They will suffer for a time, but not you. Never you, Barry.”

Barry was mesmerized by the siren song of Len’s words. He was like the cobra to Len’s snake charmer, but Barry forced himself to break eye contact and look away. “Is that why you murdered those men? For killing the guard during the robbery?”

“It was unavoidable, Barry. They knew the consequences of their actions if they maimed or killed while pulling a job for me. Swift repercussions are necessary when dealing with the criminal element. It’s the only language they understand and respect. By making an example of those two, I have saved the lives of countless other victims by ensuring no one else will repeat their mistake for fear of my wrath,” Len explained, his tone offering neither conviction nor apology.

Barry didn’t know what he had expected from Len, but this wasn’t it. Len was supposed to be a hero now, but instead he had slid back into his criminal lifestyle even deeper than before. For all intents and purposes, Len was now a mob boss. How could Barry reconcile his feelings he had for the man he fell in love with during those four days to this coldly calculating criminal? The muscle in Barry’s jaw clenched against the poisoned words that sprang to his lips. Somewhere underneath the carefully crafted mask Len wore now was the man who had sipped water from his lips in the shower. He was still the same man that had called Barry valuable and precious as he had made love to Barry’s body. He had to experience that Len again.

“It’s all just excuses, Len,” Barry replied softly. “You are capable of being so much more than this. I’ve seen it with my own eyes as you prepared to sacrifice yourself for the benefit of your crew, your f _riends_. You’re just taking the easy way out by living in the shadows like you used to do.” When Len didn’t reply, Barry sighed and said wearily, “Just take the cuffs off me, Len. I’m not one of your crew, and I won’t be your prisoner. At least, I won’t be your prisoner and your lover, too.”

Len smiled as he leaned in close to Barry’s face until their lips were mere centimeters apart. “How about I make you a deal, Scarlet? You indulge my little fantasy of fucking you while you’re bound, and I take the cuffs off right after. If you say no, I will release you now and let you vent all that anger and disappointment boiling around in there. I’m a man of word, Barry. You know that I am. Do the cuffs stay on for the time, or do they come off now?”

Barry stole the breath from between Len’s lips and pulled it into his own lungs. It was a tempting proposition, Barry couldn’t lie to himself about that, but letting Len fuck him while Barry’s powers were muted by the cuffs would be a whole new ballgame. Thanks to his helpful regenerative DNA, any pain he felt from Len’s possession was quickly extinguished. If he agreed to Len’s suggestion, he would feel every single stretch, burn, and bite the man dealt him on the path to ecstasy. But if he said no, he also knew without a shadow of a doubt that Len would relent and release him so Barry could get on with the business of kicking the man’s ass.

He just had to decide which he wanted more at the moment, but surprisingly, the answer sprang to his lips without thought. “They stay on. For now.”

Len’s lips curled against his and he purred, “Good answer.” And he pressed his lips to Barry’s for a long, heated kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Bow chicka wow wow! Awwww, yisssss. Sexy times straight ahead. My favorite part!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I feel like I should take a shower after writing this, because it's pretty dirty. Hot as hell, but still dirty. Welcome to my Beautiful Smut Wonderland. As usual, I'll fix any mistakes on a readthrough.**

Barry opened his mouth willingly for Len’s assault and allowed the man to flow inside to quench the terrible thirst that had plagued him for three long months. The taste of Len’s tongue against his and the feel of Len’s strong body pressing Barry into the bed was like a balm to his tortured soul. His fingers itched to touch the man and a desperate whine escaped his throat as the cuffs held him fast. Len dragged himself away from Barry’s mouth to kiss and lick a path over to his ear and breathed, “Patience, my Scarlet Speedster. The only thing you can do is accept what I give you.”

Barry’s breath stuttered out on a sigh as Len sucked and lathed a path down the column of Barry’s throat while his fingers got busy releasing the buttons of Barry’s shirt. Len’s hands were hot against the exposed skin of Barry’s chest, and his nipples tightened into hard buds against the calloused skin of Len’s palms. Barry’s hips moved restlessly against empty air as Len’s lips chased in the wake of his hands across the expanse of stretched muscles that made up the wide V of Barry’s torso. Something deep and wild jumped inside of him when Len’s big hand traced the dip of Barry’s stomach to scratch lightly through the treasure trail of crisp hairs that disappeared beneath the zipper of the speedster’s jeans.

When Len unerringly continued his journey to palm Barry’s hard and aching cock over top of the denim, Barry thrust against his hand and groaned. “Len, God! I thought I would never get to feel your touch again.”

Len’s fingers squeezed in a firm grip until Barry hissed through his teeth before he backtracked to thumb open the fastener of Barry’s pants. The zipper was loud in the weighted silence of the room, and Barry’s breaths grew more rapid as Len’s big hands wedged inside the opening to encounter bare skin. His fingertips danced across the flushed and swollen shaft of Barry’s cock until goosebumps broke out across Barry’s skin. Len pressed wet, open-mouthed kisses against the concave plane of his captive’s stomach and replied, “I tried to stay away from you, Barry. God’s honest truth, I tried. But you’re under my skin now, like lightning coursing through my veins, and I had to steal you back for one more taste.”

Barry shivered with longing as Len’s words twisted and twined around his heart to squeeze it painfully tight. Len continued to lick a path southward until his progress was arrested by the barrier of his captive’s jeans. Len pulled away and Barry tremored with the loss of his heat, but the man wasn’t going far. He stood to his feet and reached down to work his fingers under the waistband of Barry’s jeans and boxer briefs and pulled them down Barry’s long legs until he was able to toss them to the floor. Barry felt a flush of embarrassment race across his skin as Len took his time looking his fill of Barry’s mostly nude body.

Len waited until Barry’s eyes met his own before he pulled the hem of his tight, black shirt over his head. The man was just as mouth-wateringly gorgeous as Barry had remembered him with his unique blend of tattoos and scars decorating the muscled expanse of his chest, arms, and back. He needed to see more, needed to feel all that hard flesh pressed against him. “More, Len,” Barry breathed with a plea. “I need to see all of you.”

Len’s lips quirked with a knowing smile as he popped the button free on his black denim pants. “You’re forgetting who is in charge here, Barry. You’re in no position to demand anything from me.”

Barry growled with frustration and yanked at his bound hands. “One of these days, Len, I’m going to show you the full scope of my powers, and I will make you beg.”

Len pushed his pants and underwear past the rounded hills of his ass and allowed the fabric to drop to the floor with a whisper of cloth. With a smirk he replied lightly, “Perhaps. If I allow it.”

Len’s cock was thick and heavy with arousal as he climbed on the bed and crawled up between Barry’s spread legs. He settled himself in the cradle of Barry’s hips until their shafts were pressed against each other and braced his weight on his forearms. Len’s eyes were heavy-lidded with desire as he catalogued every expression that crossed Barry’s face. He grinded his erection against Barry’s abs and murmured, “If you only knew how many times I dreamed of having you tied up and at my mercy, you would run away and never come back.”

Barry’s arms ached from the strain and blood loss from having his hands bound above his head, but that didn’t stop him from wrapping his long legs around Len’s and pulling him in tighter. “I can’t run away from you, Len, only towards you. I will always run back to you.”

Len leaned down and claimed Barry’s lips for a deep, drugging kiss full of nipping teeth and sweeps of his tongue. Barry’s heart rejoiced in the familiar domination of Len’s kiss and sighed his acceptance into his lover’s mouth as Len drank him down. Barry would have happily drowned under Len’s siege on his mouth, but the man pulled away to pant for breath as he rested his forehead against Barry’s. Len’s voice was rough and shaking when he said, “You make it very difficult for me to stay in control, and without your powers to ease the way, I will need every ounce of it to keep from hurting you.”

Barry closed his eyes and nuzzled his nose along Len’s sharp cheekbone. “Don’t make me wait any longer than I already have, Len. I need to feel you inside of me. You won’t hurt me.”

Len cursed darkly, but he still pulled back until he was able to stretch his arm out to reach the bedside table where he retrieved a small black bottle of lubricant before he slid back down the length of Barry’s body. Len situated himself between Barry’s spread legs and paused long enough to wedge a pillow under the small of Barry’s back in order to elevate his hips. The cap of the bottle clicked open like a gunshot, sending Barry into a spasm of breathless anticipation. Len drizzled the fingers of his left hand liberally before moving the bottle to drip along Barry’s straining shaft, and he smirked as Barry cursed at the cold liquid against his sensitive skin. Len’s hand wasn’t far behind, though, and he smoothed the slick drops with his palm until Barry was thrusting easily into Len’s fist.

Len’s other fingers trailed down further without hesitation to circle and tease the tight ring of muscle that guarded the entrance to Barry’s body. Barry thought he was ready for the intrusion, but when Len sank one thick finger inside him, he hissed as the slight burn radiated up his spine for long moments before it faded into maddening pleasure with each slip and slide. He had barely acclimated before a second finger wedged in beside the first, and Barry’s back bowed with the pressure of Len stretching him open.

Len slowed his movements, but did not relent in his forward progress as his fingers came to a rest deep inside Barry’s channel. Len’s other hand continued to work up and down Barry’s slick shaft as he crooned, “Easy, babe. Deep breaths. That’s it. Just relax and let me take care of you.”

Barry’s entire frame shook with the endearment that fell from Len’s lips so effortlessly. The burn of his channel vied with the pleasure of Len’s grip on his cock until the pleasure won and spread heat across his chest. Barry’s heels dug into the bed for purchase and he used his leverage to thrust up into Len’s slick grip before pushing back to impale himself on Len’s fingers. Barry’s hands clenched into helpless fists and he cried out when Len curled his fingers forward to press and rub against the bundle of nerves there.

“Come on, Len,” Barry begged shamelessly. “That’s enough. Just fuck me already!”

Len’s deep, wicked chuckle caused the hairs on Barry’s arms to stand up. As he twisted and scissored his fingers within Barry’s body, he growled, “What did I tell you about trying to top from the bottom, Barry? I have half a mind to keep you just like this, balanced on the edge, for hours just to hear you beg.”

Barry hid his face against his taut bicep and allowed the sensations of Len’s hands to wash over him without the filter of his speedster genetics. He felt everything so much clearer. Each flash of pain lingered and spread, and each swipe of Len’s fist over his cock made his stomach clench with increasing passion. Barry’s voice was wrecked and muffled against his arm as he whispered, “Please, Len. Please.”

Len whispered a curse and slowly retrieved his torturous fingers. Barry heard the click of the cap again before the sounds of Len slicking up his cock reached Barry’s ears. He opened his eyes when he felt Len lower his body against Barry’s chest once more, and he sucked in a shocked breath when the wide crown of Len’s cock nudged at his entrance. Len placed gentle, shallow kisses against Barry’s lips as he rumbled, “The pain won’t fade as quickly this time, Scarlet. I’ll go slow until you adjust.”

Without waiting for a reply, Len applied firm pressure against the tight opening until the crown wedged its way inside. The burning was more intense and overwhelming than any other time before, and Barry couldn’t back his cry of dismay as the pain rolled over him while his hole stretched to accommodate Len’s thick cock head. Len didn’t pause until the crown was seated inside him, and his arms trembled where he held his weight from crushing his captive. Barry’s body broke out in a sweat and his nerve endings screamed with a confusing mix of desire and agony.

Len waited patiently for Barry to relax before he pressed forward to work his way deeper. Barry was helpless against Len’s onslaught and keened when a final, urgent thrust seated Len’s cock to the very end of him. Len’s breaths were harsh against Barry’s neck as he said, “You’re doing so good, babe. You were made to take me, made just for me.”

Barry’s eyes stung with tears as his emotions battled for dominance over his body’s needs, but his body won out. “Please, please, please, please,” he chanted desperately as his hips fought to move against the thick column of flesh splitting him open.

Len began to move with achingly slow thrusts until Barry stopped hissing through his teeth and began to meet each thrust with one of his own. It seemed like an eternity to Barry as Len sank into him over and over, each plunge getting faster and harder until the wet sounds of their impact filled the room. Barry moaned with disapproval as Len maneuvered himself up to his knees in order to watch his cock sliding in and out of Barry’s body. “Look at you spread open around me,” Len purred, his tone dripping with satisfaction and pride. His left arm hooked under Barry’s knee and pulled his leg wide for a better view while the fingers of his other hand traced around Barry’s opening where they were joined. Those fingers finished tormenting Barry’s hole and moved on to rolling and tugging at Barry’s sack before he once more fisted Barry’s cock with a slippery grip.

Barry’s head thrashed back and forth on the pillow as conflicting messages were delivered to his brain via nerve endings all over his body. He embraced the familiar sensation of mounting pleasure, but unfamiliar jolts of pain from being stretched by Len’s cock warped and changed inside of him until he thought he would fracture from the swelling insanity. Without his metahuman DNA to immediately heal any little hurt, everything felt new and different, scary and thrilling, all at once.

 Len’s hips were snapping hard against the cushion of Barry’s ass, his cock drilling deep inside him, as grunts and animalistic growls ripped from his throat. His fist moved with concentrated speed over the dark red crown of Barry’s cock and sweat rolled down to tangle in the hair on his chest from his exertions, and his irises practically glowed with an inhuman zeal. “You’re feeling every bit of me for the first time, but you will still come by my hand and my cock.” Len shifted his thrusts until Barry cried out with surprise, and he hammered that spot over and over. “Come for me, Scarlet. Come _now_.”

“Oh, God! Len!” Barry’s voice splintered from the strain as his soul flew apart from its moorings and sailed high above him while his body jerked with each eruption of his cock. Len continued to pound his prostate with each stroke, sending Barry into seizures from the overstimulation, until he hung limp from cuffs. There was no fight left in him, and he just let go and enjoyed the high while Len used his body to completion.

In direct opposition to Barry, Len seemed almost crazed as his passion overtook him. He hooked both arms under Barry’s knees and pinned his hips back in order to brace both his palms against the bed. His hipbones smacked against the taut muscles of Barry’s ass with each punishing thrust as he bent down to lick away the pearly drops that decorated Barry’s chest. His voice vibrated across Barry’s skin as he panted and growled, “This is my fantasy right here, Barry. Your unconditional surrender to my control. I _own_ you. You are _mine_!” His teeth clamped into the tender skin covering Barry’s heart and sank deep.

Barry barely heard Len’s grunts of release over his own yelling as pain exploded from where Len’s teeth were buried in his pec. Len’s body was trembling and shaking with the force of his climax, and Barry longed to bring his arms down to pull him in even closer. Len’s breaths were haggard and labored as his body finally stilled before he released his teeth from their fierce hold. He licked at the wound lazily before placing reverent kisses over the reddened skin while broken noises fell from Barry lips.

Even though Barry’s fingers had long ago gone numb, and his ass was still throbbing from Len’s possession, and even though his chest was on fire from his bite, Barry was more troubled by the thrilling freedom he had found in giving over all of himself to Len. In that moment, when Len had staked his claim with words and teeth, Barry had wanted to be owned by Len and be consumed by him. But as the adrenaline ebbed and their breaths evened out, terror began to overtake him. It would be so easy to lose himself completely to Len’s control until Barry the Individual stopped existing, but that wasn’t what he wanted. He never wanted to feel like he was under someone else’s complete control, but if there was anyone that could force him to do it, it would be Len. Because Barry would allow him to do so.

As Len slowly began the arduous task of disentangling their bodies, Barry watched Len carefully to see if he would honor his word about releasing him from the cuffs that not only kept him prisoner, but cut him off from all access to the speed force. Len didn’t know it, but his next actions would determine whether they continued forward as equals or if they would part as enemies. Because no matter how much he loved Len, he would never be anyone’s slave. He would give Len everything else he asked for, but not this.

Len straightened up slowly and pulled his arms out to his sides and stretched until his spine cracked with popping noises like machine gun fire. He met Barry’s blank gaze and a satisfied smile bloomed across his handsome face. “As much as I would love to stay right there forever, I need to get up and release those cuffs.”

Both of them groaned when Len’s cock slid free from Barry’s ass. Cautiously, he made his way to the head of the bed until he was straddling Barry’s chest in order to reach the cuffs. With the press of a few buttons, the cuffs clicked open and released Barry’s wrists. Len picked up each one to drag the sleeves of his shirt off before carefully inspecting each arm for damage. He rubbed the circulation back into Barry’s fingers until Barry cursed from the prickling sting, and chuckled as he maneuvered himself back down to the bed so he could lay next to him.

Barry blinked the rush of tears from his eyes as Len bundled him into his chest and rested his cheek against Barry’s hair. Len pressed a kiss into his scalp and rumbled, “You okay, Scarlet? You’re being uncharacteristically quiet for you. Go ahead. Cuss me out for being an arrogant bastard. You know I deserve it. Use your powers and kick my ass. Come on. It’ll be fun.”

A surprised laugh gusted from Barry’s throat, and his tingling fingers twitched against Len’s back. “You let me go.”

Len pulled his head back in surprise and met Barry’s gaze with confusion. “Of course I let you go. I said I would.”

Barry could feel the heat of embarrassment creep up his face with writhing snakes of shame. “It’s just that you said…when we were…” he trailed off, too mortified to continue.

Len frowned and pulled Barry back into his chest. “Jesus, Barry. I may be a pervert, but I’m not a monster.” He paused before tacking on an afterthought, “Well, I’m not a monster with you.”

Barry sighed with both emotional and physical relief as the speed force raced through his body repairing damage and extinguishing pain. He pressed himself closer to Len’s muscled form and replied, “You’re not a monster at all. You’re a human, Len, with strengths and weaknesses just like everyone else.”

Len’s fingers convulsed against Barry’s shoulder. Barry had to strain to hear Len whisper, “And no one makes me as strong and as weak as you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***You'll have to chew on this one for about a day before I can give you more. Alas, for I have four loads of laundry to fold and this week's Supergirl and The Flash to catch up on. I made this chapter extra long just to get us all through this.***


	7. Len's Side of the Story: Chapter Four Revisited (Bonus Chapter)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ***I tried to continue on to the next chapter, but Len wouldn't leave me alone until I told his side of the story. I hope you enjoy Chapter Four from Len's perspective, and I promise I will continue again tomorrow back on track! No one tells Len what to do, even me.***

Len could feel the sweat dripping down his temples as the heat from the flames below the smelting pot washed over him like the fires from hell while his sister fired her gold gun into the belly of the pot. While he didn’t mind sweating under the right circumstances, he absolutely loathed the sweltering heat. Growing up, his family had been too poor to afford to keep necessities like central heat and air, so Len had become accustomed to always being too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. While he had been able to dress in layers to combat the cold, there had been little he could do to keep cool in the summer.

As they worked together behind a heavily guarded and locked door, music pumped from the speakers of a sound system. Len always played music to drown out the chaos when his thoughts and emotions careened out of his control, and for the past three months, that had been his every waking moment. Len had seen and done a lot of bad shit over the course of his lifetime, but nothing had ever affected him like that four days trapped in a house with Barry Allen.

At first, Len had wanted to play his infamous mind games with the naïve young superhero. He hadn’t been able to resist the opportunity to learn more about the handsome, slender speedster that had fascinated Len for months. There was such a core of goodness and integrity in Barry Allen that Len’s curiosity had been piqued to see if he could rub some of the shine off the kid’s halo. It didn’t hurt that Barry was just Len’s type, and the criminal had spent many a spare moment crafting lurid and dirty fantasies about all the ways that Len could use his knowledge of The Flash’s real identity to manipulate Barry into his bed and under Len’s control.

During their clashes together as The Flash and Captain Cold, Len had thought he picked up hints of attraction in Barry’s interactions with Len, and it had only fed the hunger of the ravenous beast that resided in Len’s soul. So, when he had seen that first flush of embarrassment color Barry’s cheeks in the safe house, the beast within had purred and stretched before going on the hunt. From that moment on, Len’s every word and action had been calculated and coordinated toward the goal of getting Barry naked and in Len’s bed.

As sometimes happens with even the most painstakingly-plotted heist, though, things did not quite go according to plan. Len hadn’t expected Barry to cave as quickly and easily as he had, and Len also hadn’t expected Barry to be so open and honest with his reactions. Barry had responded so beautifully and obediently to Len’s every command, and the beast within had gorged on Barry’s cries of submission until sated before curling up and going back to sleep. That had left only Len himself to cope with the unexpected flood of emotion that Barry stirred up within Len’s cold, dead heart until it had begun to warm up and beat out a rhythm that sounded suspiciously like _Bar-ry, Bar-ry, Bar-ry_.

No matter how hard Len had tried not to get sucked into Barry’s orbit, he had been unable to resist the pull of Barry’s total trust in Len. With every touch, kiss, and fuck, Len was sucked in further under Barry’s spell of innate goodness and purity. Instead of knocking the shine off Barry’s halo, it had been Len who had been washed clean by Barry’s taste, smell, and words. Len had quickly become obsessed with Barry during those four days, and his baser nature had been compelled to mark him and claim Barry for himself.

As the time had drawn to a close on their time together, though, Len knew he had to force Barry to leave for the kid’s own good. Everything Len touched in his life turned to shit, and he couldn’t bear the thought of being the cause of Barry’s moral, emotional, and physical downfall. The speedster was too important to the world, and with all the crazy shit out there, The Flash was sorely needed to protect and defend the city from people like Len. If Len had given in to his selfish desire to keep the kid, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would end up hurting Barry, and possibly even destroying him. Len wasn’t entirely sure what to label the emotion that had prompted him to save Barry from him, but he knew that he was no good for the young man with sparkling hazel eyes and a smile that made Len weak in the knees. Len had felt compelled to protect Barry, and in fact, still battled the compulsion, but the only thing Barry had needed saving from was Len himself.

Len should have known that Barry’s tenacious curiosity would get the better of him. He had told Barry not to look back, and Len had meant it. So when his network of spies and employees had begun reporting back to him that a young, clean-cut guy was haunting Len’s bar and asking too many questions, Len had been forced to take action. The name Leonard Snart needed to disappear from the collective consciousness of society in order to protect both Lisa and Barry. Len didn’t give a shit about his own safety. He figured when his time was up it was up, but no one would ever harm his sister again while he breathed, but Barry’s questions were putting both Lisa and Barry in the line of fire. Len had no choice but to try to warn him away, and if he refused to back off, to bring him in for a stern talk.

Len stepped forward to test the temperature and viscosity of the melted gold as Nine Inch Nails pounded over the speakers. When he was satisfied that it was ready, he lifted the heavy cauldron and carefully poured the melted gold into the sieve that would fill the ingot molds for the coins. He didn’t know what had possessed him to cast molds with a lightning bolt on them, but secretly, he had hoped that Barry would see them someday and make the connection. Unfortunately for Len, it hadn’t taken nearly as long for Barry to become curious as Len had thought. And now, he would be forced to tell Barry goodbye again after warning him away.

A loud bang against the thick metal door interrupted their work, and Lisa stalked over to speak with whoever had the balls to interrupt them. While Len continued to fill the ingots, Trent Reznor growled, _“And you could have it all, My empire of dirt, I will let you down, I will make you hurt.”_ Len’s jaw clenched as the words wormed their way into his ear and ate at his mind. It was too close to his own feelings concerning Barry, and did little to take the speedster off his mind.

Len ran the sleeve of his shirt across his forehead as his sister closed the door and strolled back over to him with a mischievous smirk on her face. He arched an eyebrow and drawled, “Well?”

Lisa ran a glittering gold fingernail across the shiny surface of her gun and replied, “I’ve got good news and bad news for you, Lenny. The good news is that Murphy and O’Brien have delivered Barry Allen and he is currently being held in one of the cells. The bad news is that Jack reported that they didn’t follow your instructions. It seems that your tasty chew toy is a little worse for wear. I believe there were mentions of tasers and blood.”

All the blood rushed out of Len’s face and he staggered with its loss before it came flooding back with icy needles of rage. “Where are they?” he snarled, his trademarked indifference forgotten.

Lisa watched him intently and replied, “Jack had them taken to the meeting room to wait for you. Can I come along to watch the show?” Her pale blue eyes twinkled with excitement and twisted glee.

Len pulled the thick, heavy gloves off his hands and removed the leather apron before placing them in their allotted storage. He took a deep breath to give himself time to gather his control and replied with forced calm, “No, I need you here. Make sure the process of molding the coins continues. We do have an empire to fund, after all.”

As Len’s stride ate up the distance to the door, his baby sister called out, “You know, if I had known you were going to have them fetch your cutie pie, I would have had them pick Cisco up for me, too.”

Len shot her an annoyed look and drawled, “Really, Lisa. If you want to play with your food, do it on your time.”

Her laughter followed him out of the door as he left in search of his right hand man, Jack Conroy. It was difficult to find reliable and loyal help when you ran a criminal organization, but Jack had proven to be both. Jack was a gentleman thief, never caused collateral damage, and had never been caught by police. Jack’s son had a rare blood disease requiring expensive medications and hospital stays, so as long as Len continued to pay the man handsomely, Jack’s loyalty was assured.

He found the man leaning outside of a small room that Len had fashioned into a holding cell upon purchase of the empty warehouse located by the docks of Coast City. Len’s nostrils flared as if he could pick up Barry’s scent from behind the locked door. “Jack, report,” Len demanded.

Jack straightened up and shoved his hands in his pockets. “The kid’s out cold for a few. He was in bad shape when the idiots brought him in, but I gave him a shot of pain meds to knock him out. I reckon Murphy and O’Brien forgot to take the syringe with them, so they decided to improvise. When Darlene failed to get the kid to see reason, Murphy hit him in the back with a taser on full blast before O’Brien put those strange cuffs on him. Unfortunately, they had to knock the kid out, so one of them cracked him on the skull with the butt of his gun before gagging him. The kid came to as they brought him in, and he was afraid and bleeding, so I reckoned it’d be best to let him sleep it off until I could inform you.”

Len closed his eyes as the beast within him woke up with a roar of fury. It took all his considerable control to corral his emotions back in their cage before he could respond. “I will deal with the rule-breakers. I need you to see to the comfort of my guest. Have him moved to my room with extreme care and secure him to the bed so he can recover.” Len paused as he considered the pain that Barry would likely be in without access to his powers. As much as he hated to reveal even a hint of Barry’s secret, it would be worth it to prevent any further injury to his…to Barry. “And Jack? Turn the dampeners off just long enough for his wound to heal. It will happen quickly, so be ready to turn them back on the moment the skin stitches itself together. I don’t think I need to explain to you that he is important to me. He is to be shown respect and consideration until I return.”

Jack replied with a jaunty salute and Len spun on his heel to take care of the scum that had spilled Barry’s blood. If they were lucky, the beast would not require their deaths this night in order to sate its its thirst for vengeance.

*************

 A loud, clicking buzz of current echoed in the large room of the warehouse where Len gathered his troops to issue orders. The smell of singed flesh reached Len’s nose, and he stared dispassionately down at the whimpering form of Murphy who was still twitching from the effects of the last three shots of the taser. Murphy’s partner, O’Brien, lay next to him in a similar state, except he reeked of piss from the stain that spread across his crotch to pool on the floor beneath him.

Len’s voice was cold and hard as chipped ice when he said, “Let’s go over this one more time, shall we, boys?” He lashed out to land a solid kick in Murphy’s gut before he continued, “You there. Do you care to share with the rest of the class why we’re here today?”

The worm moaned pitifully, but when Len’s foot moved for another kick, he wheezed, “We broke the rules, Boss!”

Len pointed the crackling taser at the other man and drawled, “O’Brien? Do you have anything to add?”

The yellow puddle continued to grow as the man sniveled, “B-boss, we’re s-sorry. Murph…f-forgot the s-syringe. We...we was just f-following your orders t-to take the kid.”

Len bent down to squat by the moron and said with deadly calm, “It’s sad, really, that you still haven’t learned this lesson.” He paused to press the flickering prongs against O’Brien’s neck and pressed the trigger. He watched without expression as the man jerked and seized with the jolt of electricity. When the man began crying, Len continued, “You did not follow my orders. You broke the rules. I explicitly told you and your partner that he was to be delivered to me unharmed. I even went so far as to give you exact instructions on how to perform this task. You caused bodily harm to my guest, so the rules state that I must visit the same harm upon you. You are very lucky that I follow the rules, too, otherwise you would be in six pieces right now.”

Len stood up and looked down at the two men who had dared to shed his Scarlet’s blood. Both men rolled on their side, arms bound behind their backs, as they whimpered and pleaded with Len for mercy. He had none to spare. “I believe the next part is where I hit each of you on the head with the butt of a gun. Since the only gun I carry would smear your brains across my good concrete, I will have to take a page from your book and ‘improvise.’”

Len flexed his fingers and balled them into a fist until his knuckles cracked like gunfire. He knelt on one knee and used his left hand to wrap Murphy’s shirt tight until the man’s head was elevated. Murphy’s eyes widened as he took in the sight of Len’s poised fist.

“You and O’Brien no longer work for me. When you both regain consciousness, you will leave the city and never return. If I catch either of you in my territory again, you will not leave it alive,” Len explained patiently.

He didn’t even give the man time to nod his head before he pulled his arm back and brought it back down on the man’s temple. Though his eyes rolled in the back of his head, he didn’t black out, so Len smiled and punched him again. He dropped Murphy’s limp body and made his way over to O’Brien. The man was a snotty, crying mess, so Len didn’t even hesitate before crashing his bloodied knuckles against his face. It took three hits before O’Brien succumbed to the blackness, and Len relished each one.

He stood to his feet and looked over at one of his enforcers who had stood by quietly. “Gag and blindfold each of them and take them to the city limits and dump them somewhere they will be found. Eventually.”

The big, burly man nodded as he reached out to open the door for Len. He flexed his hand absently as he made his way down the corridor toward his private room. He met Jack along the way, filled him on the fate of Murphy and O’Brien, and received an update on Barry’s condition. He clapped the man on the shoulder and slid him three gold coins before continuing on his way.

Len used his uninjured hand to turn the knob and step inside. He purposely kept his gaze lowered until he had shut it behind him and secured the lock. He wanted his first sight of Barry in over three months to be in private like it had been in the safe house. His eyes landed on his hands and he frowned at the sticky red blood and soot stains. He couldn’t touch Barry with these hands. They were too dirty, stained, and covered in blood to ever be worthy of touching him. Washing them would just have to do, though, because he already knew that he would never be able to resist.

As he walked across the room in the direction of the small bathroom, he finally allowed himself to feast his gaze on Barry. Len’s heart pounded against his ribs as he took in the sight of Barry bound and helpless on Len’s bed. His mouth flooded with saliva as he catalogued the speedster’s bare feet, long legs encased in tight jeans, and chest muscles straining against the buttons of his button-down plaid shirt. His ardor cooled entirely, though, when he glimpsed the dark patch of hair matted with dried blood. Though there was no longer a wound and the bruising had disappeared, there was still the dried blood to point the accusing finger at Len.

As he walked past the bed, he observed Barry’s nervous twitches and increased breathing and waited for him to say something, but all he did was lick his lips. Len’s cock instantly got hard and he had to make himself keep walking until he reached the bathroom sink. He focused on soaping his hands thoroughly, even taking time to splash his face, before he snatched a washcloth to soak in the steaming hot water.

When he arrived at the bed, he paused just to drink in every familiar facet of Barry’s body. Barry was clearly anxious and afraid, but he didn’t lose control and panic. Len was so proud of him. Barry broke the weighted silence and demanded, “Who’s there? What are you going to do with me?”

Len’s lips curled in an anticipatory smile. If things went as planned, he would be doing a whole lot of wicked things with him. He bided his time by reaching out to wipe at the dried blood with the steaming cloth, but Barry flinched away with terrified yelp. Len reacted before he could think about it and grasped Barry’s jaw in his bruised hand and held him firmly while he began to wipe away the red stains along Barry’s temple. After his skin was pink and shiny, Len moved on to scrub and pat at the stiff hairs. He probed the skin where Barry had been hit to check for any lingering injury, but he felt no lumps or scabs beneath his fingertips.

Satisfied for the moment, Len walked away to dispose of the washcloth. He took a moment to collect himself as warring emotions of rage and protectiveness and lust clashed within him for dominance. He shook his head and pushed the beasts back in their cages and reached for calm. Barry needed Len to be calm right now more than anything, so that was what Len would give him. When he had himself collected, he walked back over to Barry’s side.

Barry was still tense and nervous, but he surprised Len when he blurted, “Are you going to get around to the part where you make your evil villain speech sometime soon? Because I got to tell you, man, I’m starving and my arms hurt like a bitch. So, either get on with the torture or feed me, because nothing can be worse than when my stomach growls.”

Len almost slipped up and laughed, but he clamped his mouth shut in time for it to escape his nostrils as air instead. Len grinned with pride and thought _That’s my brave little warrior._ The impulse to touch Barry again took over and he slid his injured hand beneath the hem of Barry’s shirt. He knew his hands were cool from the water, but Barry’s skin was like open flame against his palm. Even though Barry was cut off from the speed force, it will still there inside him, cycling and revving like an engine just waiting for the brake to be let go.

Barry yelped with shock at the unexpected touch, but Len was able to run his fingers over the washboard bumps of the speedster’s abdomen until Barry cried out, “No! Stop!”

Len yanked his hand away like he had been bitten by snake. He knew all too intimately what it felt like to have someone touch him without permission, and he would never subject another to that hell. Especially not his Scarlet. He had made himself very plain on that score with Barry once upon a time, and he always kept his word.

Just as he worried he had gone too far, Barry’s expression began to change. His heaving chest slowed down to a normal rhythm and he watched Barry’s lips form Len’s name without sound before he shook his head. Hope bloomed in Len’s chest as he saw the dawning comprehension come over his captive. Perhaps Barry remembered the feel of Len’s hand. There was only one way to find out.

Len reached out again to run his palm up Barry’s torso, but this time, he stayed on top of his shirt. If Barry said no again, Len would have to reveal himself and be forced to face the crushing disappointment and betrayal that Barry would feel upon finding out the truth. He knew it was a foregone conclusion. It had only been a question of when, not if, he hurt Barry. And the when was _now_.

Though Barry’s breathing picked up again, he did not refuse Len’s advance. He took his time feeling each hill and valley of Barry’s chest beneath his palm, and gloried in the permission to touch Barry as liked. His fingers continued to travel upward until his palm came to a rest in a gentle hold against Barry’s neck. He could feel the speedster’s pulse racing under his thumb, and he stroked it just for the pleasure of it.

Barry swallowed thickly against his hold and whispered, “Len?”

Len’s eyes pricked with an alien sensation and he blinked it away while his thumb continued to caress the skin over Barry’s pulse. Len’s throat swelled with the force of a different beast clawing its way from his heart toward his lips. He swallowed it back down and replied gruffly, “Well, at least you remembered one of my rules at any rate. I’m not so impressed with your track record on the others, Barry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***God, I am so in love with Len. Give me a bad boy who can be really good any day of the week! Let me know what you thought about my bonus chapter and if you would like to see it again sometime! Back to the plot tomorrow!***


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing on with the story from the end of Chapter Six...

A few minutes later, they stood underneath the spray of the tiny shower stall in Len’s private bathroom. Neither he nor Len were small people, so they had to embrace in order to both fit. Barry’s head rested against Len’s shoulder as the man’s hands ran up and down Barry’s back lazily. Barry blinked the drops of hot water from his eyes and watched as the pink-tinged water from both their injuries swirled around the drain before it disappeared with a sucking sound. He couldn’t help but think that it was a perfect metaphor for whatever this was between them.

He patiently consented to Len’s insistence on shampooing Barry’s hair, but as he closed his eyes against the foamy lather, he broke the silence. “Are we going to talk about why you brought me here?”

Len hummed noncommittally as he ran his fingers through Barry’s soapy hair to rinse it before he moved on to lather up Barry’s back and down between his ass. Len’s fingers played and swirled over the healed opening as he finally drawled, “I’d rather talk about how I want to fuck you up against the wall right now.”

Barry sighed and shook his head with mock disgust. “Okay, maybe this conversation would go a little better once we’re both wearing clothes.”

Len chuckled and bit his way up Barry’s neck. “But I like it so much better when you’re naked. You don’t get mad at me or threaten me when you’re naked. You’re usually too busy moaning my name.”

Barry felt his face flush with embarrassment and he stepped away from the infuriating man as far as the cramped space would allow. He placed his palm against Len’s chest to keep him from closing the gap and replied with a scowl, “Stop trying to change the subject by making me blush, you asshole. You owe me an explanation, _Boss_.”

Len’s nostrils flared and his lips tightened, but he nodded curtly before he began tending to his own ablutions. “What do you want to know?” he asked carefully.

Barry leaned back against the molded plastic of the shower and watched with interest as Len’s injured hand spread soap across his body. “Start at the beginning. Where did you disappear to after we parted at the safe house?”

Len’s lips quirked and his blue eyes twinkled as he caught Barry watching him wash his junk. “Lisa and I left Central City that night and came here.”

Barry growled with frustration. “Don’t make me drag the answers out of you, Len. Where is ‘here’?”

Len ducked his head under the spray to finish rinsing off before reaching to turn off the cooling water. They stepped out of the shower one at a time, and Len handed Barry a thick towel. As he ran the cloth over his own body, Len finally spoke. “This is my base of operations in Coast City. Mick and I would retreat here anytime Central City police got too interested in us. It’s a warehouse I bought about fifteen years ago out of the proceeds of my first big heist. Since it’s located by the docks, police presence around here is thin.”

Barry wrapped the damp towel around his waist and secured it before following Len back into his room. He leaned against the wall, folded his arms, and watched as Len began to rifle through a chest of drawers. “Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. Tell me about your operation. From all I read about you in your files, you always seemed to run a small group of Rogues. What I’ve seen over the past few months in an actual crime organization. How did you grow so quickly?”

Len pulled out a folded set of black material and handed it over his shoulder to Barry. His eyebrows rose as he recognized the S.T.A.R. Labs sweats that he had left behind in the safe house. Logically, he knew that Len must have done something with them since Barry had been back there more than a dozen times. He never imagined that Len would not only keep them, but store them in the drawer with his belongings. Almost as if Len had expected Barry to one day be there to wear them again.

As they pulled on clean clothes, Len drawled, “Do you really think that I would ever let anyone with authority know all my secrets? CCPD has no idea the full scope of my illustrious career.” Len fastened the button on his jeans, but left his chest bare as he strolled over to where Barry was back leaning against the wall, fully clothed. As if Barry were a magnet, Len’s hand burrowed under the sweatshirt to touch his skin. He continued, “I’ve always been an entrepreneur, Barry. What did you imagine I did with the profits from all those heists? I drink in moderation, I don’t do drugs, and I never gamble unless it’s a sure thing. I prefer to spend my money on things that will actually pay me in return.”

Barry’s breath caught as Len’s fingers brushed across his puckered nipple. “Like what exactly? Real estate? Businesses? People?”

Len hummed deep in his throat and crowded Barry against the wall until their bodies were pressed against each other. Len’s eyes glowed an eerie blue in the low light of the room as he answered lightly, “All three. In Central City alone, my shell corporation owns six bars, three restaurants, several gas stations, and eighteen rental properties. Each of those businesses needs people to run them. I have an entire network of spies at my command, but it has only been these past few months since I decided to play a more…active role in consolidating my territory.”

Barry couldn’t think with Len this close to him. The feel of Len’s hands on his body, the smell of his shower gel, and the heat of his body combined to cloud his mind. He almost forgot what they were talking about as Len leaned in to suck teasing kisses along Barry’s neck. Barry closed his eyes and moaned as his hands trailed up the muscled sides of Len’s chest. God, no one had ever made Barry lose his mind this quickly before, but with Len, Barry was lost with just one touch. Just that fast, Len was turning him into a being of pleasure that answered only to Len’s lips, and Barry found himself sliding back into the dark embrace of his addiction.

Len chose his moment to strike, and he stole into the moist heat of Barry’s mouth like thief that he was. Barry gave himself over to the kiss, twining his tongue with Len’s, and digging his fingers into the man’s ribs. Len devoured him like a starving beast, and Barry was the eager sacrifice. Len’s voice hummed deep, sending tickling vibrations through Barry’s lips before he spoke directly into Barry’s mouth. “Come back to bed with me, Scarlet. I haven’t had near enough of you yet.”

Barry’s cock stiffened with approval of that plan, but a nagging instinct told him it would be a bad idea right then. “I want to, Len. God! I want to so bad, but we’re not done talking.”

Len stiffened against Barry’s body and he stilled. “Maybe I’m done talking, Barry. It won’t change anything. I’ll still be a criminal, and you’ll still be a hero. Why not just take this opportunity to enjoy each other while we can?”

Anger, hot and swift, ignited in Barry’s heart. Lightning crackled in Barry’s eyes, and with just a thought, he had Len pinned to the wall with his arm braced against Len’s collarbone. “That’s my point, Len,” Barry snarled, his anger and frustration welling over. “You’re not just another criminal. You’ve tasted the high of being an actual hero, you’ve sacrificed yourself for the safety of your best friend. You are not a villain anymore, and I can’t understand why you’re trying so hard to be again.”

The light in Len’s eyes dimmed behind shutters and Len’s expression turned cold. “Barry, one or two selfless acts can’t erase a lifetime of crime. I was born to this life, raised to steal from the time I could walk, and perfected my technique by the time I was fourteen. I had to be good at it if Lisa was going to have shoes without holes and clean clothes to wear to school. I am good at being a criminal. I have murdered people in cold blood in order to get where I am, and where I am is a very powerful place to be.”

Barry locked eyes with Len, and he saw no remorse or lies hiding in their depths. What Barry did see, though, was desperation. Barry dropped his threatening stance and backed up to give Len space. “I get it, Len. You’re a survivor, and I respect that. But I can’t help but notice that you never once professed to be happy about any of it. I need to hear it from your lips before I’ll believe it. Did you enjoy killing those people? Does it make you happy to dish out pain against those that hurt you? Help me understand, Len, because you are capable of so much more.”

Len didn’t move from his place against the wall. Barry couldn’t read the man’s expression, but Len’s tone was frosty. “Why does it matter, Barry? It changes nothing. You may think I’m no longer a villain, but I sure as fuck am no hero, either.” Barry swallowed the ball of ice in his throat as Len continued with a drawl, “Don’t make me into something I’m not just to make yourself feel better about us fucking.”

Barry recoiled as if he had been slapped. If Len was purposely trying to hurt him, he had definitely succeeded. “You _fucking asshole_ ,” Barry seethed. He could feel the speed force racing inside him and he itched to lash out and hurt Len back. “Don’t you dare try stand there and act like what’s between us is just ‘fucking.’ I know it’s more than that for both of us, so you’re just being a dick. Stop pushing me away and tell me the truth for once. I just need to know whose side you’re on. Please, Len.” By the time he finished talking, his anger had faded away to be replaced by weariness.

Len kicked off from the wall and slowly closed the space between them. He paused when he was only inches away from Barry and tucked his hands into his pockets. Barry itched to reach out and trace the bold yin yang tattoo on Len’s left shoulder, but he resisted the impulse. Len said, “The only side that matters to me is my own. I defend and protect what’s mine by any means necessary, even if it means death. It gives me no joy to take a life, but I also believe that there are those who don’t deserve the gift of breathing, and I have no remorse for extinguishing it.” Barry held his breath, knowing Len wasn’t done. He wasn’t. “I am extremely cautious about letting people get too close, but those that I do, I claim as my own. I’m on Lisa’s side, I’m on Mick’s side, and I’m on your side, Barry. That’s it. It’s that simple to me. It’s not about good or bad, villain or superhero. I will do _whatever it takes_ to protect what is mine.”

Barry’s stomach swooped with twisted glee at Len’s words, but he needed more from him. Barry needed to know exactly where he stood with Len before he lost himself completely. “What if being on my side means you have to stop being a criminal? Would you do that?”

Len sighed heavily and the first glimpse of emotion crossed his face. “I don’t know how else to explain this to you, Scarlet, so listen closely. This is who I am. I love the thrill of planning a job. I chase the adrenaline rush of stealing something that is being guarded. And yes, Barry, sometimes it makes me happy to cause others’ pain.” He paused to look down at his cracked and swollen knuckles. “The problem here is that what I have to offer is worthless to you. You don’t need a thief or a hired gun. You don’t need a spy or double agent. What you do need from me, I can’t provide. I am not the one you can bring home for supper with the Wests. I’m not the one who can wear a cape or a hood in order to fight for justice by your side. I can’t give you what you need, Barry. It’s not who I am.”

Barry could feel his heart fracturing and pouring blood into his chest with Len’s words. “Don’t say that, Len. Please, stop trying to push me away. I don’t care about any of that. I just need you. Only you.”

Len reached out to run his scabbed knuckles down the sweep of Barry’s cheekbone. “I won’t push you away, Scarlet. I’m too selfish to deny myself something I want, and I have never wanted anything more than you. I will be here when you need me. I will give you everything I have to offer whether it’s my body or my skills. I will never turn you away again, but someday, you’ll realize that it’s not enough for you, and you’ll move on. Until that time comes, though, I need you to open your eyes and wipe away the rose-colored filter you view me through. If you truly want me, you have to take me as I am, not who you want me to be.”

Barry leaned his face into Len’s palm and closed his eyes. The truth of Len’s words were like a cheese grater to his insides, but still it changed nothing. His heart still beat to the tune of Len’s voice, his body still craved the touch of his hands, and his very soul thirsted for more of Len. Always more.

“You’re wrong, you know,” Barry whispered as Len’s thumb caressed Barry’s bottom lip. “I will never stop wanting you no matter what. I will never stop fighting for you, even if it means having to fight _you_. I’m not giving up on the man I know you can be, Len. It’s never too late.”

Len’s breath washed over Barry’s lips and whispered, “Then may the best man win.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Whew! I struggled with this chapter, y'all. Not gonna lie. Honesty and angst are difficult emotions to wade through with these two while staying true to their personalities. I'm right back to writing on the next chapter now, though, so hopefully a little more action is in the cards!** THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND KIND WORDS! I LOVE YOU GUYS!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a little Saturday afternoon delight to get you through the day. Warning: porny porn ahead.

Barry’s hands reached up to hold Len still for his kiss. This time, it was Barry who sped into Len’s mouth to conquer and defeat. He claimed every tooth, dominated Len’s tongue, and forced his passion past Len’s lips. As he gorged on the buffet of Len’s mouth, his hands trailed lower to knead, squeeze, and pinch the naked flesh of the man’s chest until he coaxed a growl from deep within Len’s chest. The speed force within him raced with Barry’s excitement, but he paid it no heed. Barry didn’t need the speed force to make Len lose control.

He broke away from the oasis of Len’s mouth and pulled back to catch Len’s gaze. The man’s pupils were blown wide, his nostrils flared to make room for the breaths pushing and pulling from his chest, and his skin was flushed with heat. Without breaking eye contact, Barry sank to his knees and popped open the button on Len’s faded, ripped jeans. He could see the thick, hard length of Len’s cock outlined lewdly by the denim, and Barry shivered. Len’s hands balled into tight fists as Barry lowered the zipper and freed Len’s cock from its prison until it stood proud and flushed, the crown peeking out of its hood to present a drop of clear, sticky fluid for Barry’s approval.

Barry hummed with anticipation, and he held Len’s gaze as he leaned in to swipe the flat of his tongue across the tip. Len hissed through his teeth and rasped, “You’re playing with fire, babe. Don’t tease the beast if you don’t want it to devour you.”

Barry added his hands to the mix and used his grip on the shaft to pull the skin away from the crown. He licked the exposed skin of the flared crown and run his tongue up and down the crease until another drop of Len’s essence spilled out to land on his tongue. He swallowed it down with noises of appreciation before he replied huskily, “This isn’t a tease, Len. It’s a promise.”

Barry lowered his mouth to take Len’s cock in his mouth. Gone were the gentle and reverent swipes of his tongue, and instead, he sucked and lathed Len’s length with purpose. He used his hand to slide against the slick flesh with each retreat and yanked Len’s passion from his throat. Len groaned a curse and threaded his injured fingers into the thick, short locks of Barry’s hair and held on tight as Barry bobbed up and down Len’s cock.

“Fuck, Scarlet,” Len moaned, his fingers twisting against Barry’s scalp. “You make me crazy, you know that?”

Barry swallowed around the fat crown lodged in his throat before sliding back off to catch his breath. He panted, “Good. Now you know how I feel.”

Len’s fingers used their grip to pull Barry’s mouth back to his cock, and Barry willingly followed. He opened his mouth and closed his eyes as Len fed his length inside until the head bumped the entrance of his throat. Barry moaned around the hard, hot flesh and rolled his tongue over and around it as Len began to thrust gently.

Barry’s own cock was like steel tenting the fabric of his sweatpants, but he spared it no attention as his hands worked together with his mouth to drive Len to the brink. He wanted Len to let loose of his infamous control, and the only time he seemed to do that was when he was fucking Barry. The speedster craved those glimpses into the true heart of who Len really was, and what Barry found there was intense, desperate love. He knew it down to his very marrow that Len loved him, but the man couldn’t see past his sins enough to understand the reason behind his obsession, passion, and violence. Len was wrong. The man had so much more to offer, and Barry meant to take it.

Len’s hips were thrusting deeper into Barry’s throat as moans filtered up from his belly. Len’s thigh trembled under Barry’s bracing hold and he tugged on Barry’s hair with each plunge. “God, your mouth should be illegal,” Len crooned as Barry sucked Len far into his throat until he gagged. “Again,” Len growled his command, and Barry obeyed. This time, he pushed past the gagging until the crisp hairs of Len’s groin teased Barry’s nose. Len held him there by the hair for three long seconds before allowing him to breathe again. Barry coughed and sucked in air, but he went back for more without prompting until Len pulled him away.

Without speaking, Len grasped Barry under the arm and hauled him up. He didn’t pause as he spun Barry around and pushed his chest down across the low dresser. Len was breathing hard as he yanked Barry’s sweatpants down his thighs to expose the speedster’s ass to his view and Barry yelped when Len pried his ass open before bathing the tight opening with his tongue.

“Oh, fuck,” Barry moaned as he melted against the solid weight of the dresser where he rested his head against his arms. Just as he had promised, Len became the beast and feasted on Barry’s flesh with his tongue and teeth until the tight ring of muscle loosened to let him inside. Barry’s cock hung hard and heavy in the open air when Len straightened up to spit into his palm before using it to slick the head of his cock. Barry trembled with anticipation of Len’s possession, and he rasped, “Fuck me, Len. Give me everything you’ve got. I want all of you.”

Len’s fingers bit into the round globe of Barry’s ass cheek and he spread him wide as he lined up his cock against Barry’s opening. He pushed himself inside the resisting hole with unrelenting pressure until the muscle stretched to allow him entrance. Barry panted against the flash of pain, but he pushed into it instead of away. Len’s cock sank inside of his ass by slow, steady degrees as pained whimpers slipped past Barry’s lips with pleas for more. Both of Len’s hands found their grip on each of Barry’s hip bones as he pressed deep until he could go no further. His chest vibrated with a satisfied purr as his hips swiveled to grind his cock against the viselike grip of Barry’s channel squeezing his cock.

“This is what I can give you, Barry. Pleasure and pain in equal measure. You can’t have one without the other,” Len snarled as he pulled his cock back before slamming it in deep once more.

Barry’s fingers scrabbled for purchase against the smooth wood holding him up as Len began to fuck into him harder. Barry grunted with the force of each impact and still he pushed back against Len’s cock. The ache of acclimating to his size faded away and all that was left was ecstasy. No one could play his body to such heights of bliss as Len. No one could ever pour out as much passion as his love. Barry rejoiced in the proof of Len’s desire for him with each punishing thrust and with every filthy curse that dropped from Len’s lips like a benediction.

Something dark and primal in Barry’s soul woke up and _purred_. He was not powerless to Len’s control. Barry held the same power over Len, and he would use it just as ruthlessly as the man himself. “Len,” Barry panted as Len drove inside him like a hammer to nail. “Len, I need you. Fuck me harder. Make me come. Pour yourself out inside me.”

Len groaned deep in his chest and thrust deep. He draped himself over Barry’s back and reached around with his fist to grip Barry’s aching cock. His palm was rough and dry, but Barry didn’t care. Len was doing what Barry commanded for once, and he relished the rush of heady power over such a fierce creature as Len.

Len’s muscles flexed and released with each drive of his cock into Barry’s channel as his hand yanked loosely on the head of Barry’s cock. Len’s breaths were loud against Barry’s ear, but he soaked in every harsh word that Len whispered in his ear as he fucked Barry harder. “Barry, Barry, Barry,” Len crooned as his thumb massaged the crease at the base of his frenulum while his hips pounded against Barry’s ass rhythmically. “You’ve made me a slave to your touch. I want you all the time, with every thought. You’ve brought light to my dark.”

Barry sobbed and choked on the ball of emotion forcing its way past his throat and a wordless cry ripped from his throat as he splintered apart into climax. The shockwaves of each crest sent him higher as his cock erupted over the dresser and Len’s fist while the man continued to pummel his cock deep. He wantonly arched his back as Len straightened up to grip his hips once more. His hipbones crashed into the firm muscle of Barry’s ass as Len watched his cock disappear inside Barry’s body until stiffened with a harsh groan. Barry could feel Len’s cock swell against the snug walls of his channel before hot splashes of his come flooded from the tip to pool inside him. Len shook with each eruption and continued to push and pull into Barry’s hole with leisurely thrusts until he caught his breath.

Barry gasped when Len pulled out of him unceremoniously, leaving Barry’s stretched opening in full view. Len hummed a satisfied noise and pushed two fingers back inside the healing ring of muscle. “If I could, I would keep you plugged with my come inside you. Every time you run, you would never be able to forget me.”

Barry hid his flaming face in his arms and his voice was muffled as he replied, “You weren’t lying when you said you were a pervert. Jesus, Len.”

Len’s laughter was wicked as he dipped and played in Barry’s leaking hole. “You love it, Scarlet,” he drawled as he finally retrieved his fingers. He slapped Barry’s ass and added, “You wanted everything from me, and I’m giving it. No buyer’s remorse now.”

Barry stayed still while Len began to clean him up with the damp towel. He closed his eyes as Len took care to wipe him down, front and back, and then pull Barry’s pants back up. He didn’t resist when Len pulled him up and into his arms for a deep, lazy kiss. When Len let him back up for air, Barry breathed, “No regrets, Len. I meant it. I want everything from you.”

Len’s eyes were stormy blue and shuttered against Barry’s gaze. “I’ll do my best, Barry. I just hope it’s enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Hope you enjoyed this intense scene! Back to the actual plot in the next chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short little chapter, but it's setting up the scene for the next big action!

After they were cleaned up and fully dressed once more, Barry’s stomach gurgled in protest loudly. Len laughed, the first carefree laugh since back at the safe house, and pulled Barry in by the hips. He kissed the skin of Barry’s still blushing neck and said, “Come on, Scarlet. What was it you said? ‘Nothing can be worse than when my stomach growls.’”

Barry’s lips twitched and he shot a look at him from the corner of his eye. “You’re actually going to let me wander around your evil lair? Isn’t that against some rule you have like ‘No superheroes allowed’ or something?”

Len held the door open and sarcastically drawled, “After you, Mr. Superhero. I trust you will keep my secrets as I have kept yours.”

Len led him down lighted hallway and into a small kitchenette that held a table, four chairs, a fridge, and microwave. Barry’s face fell as he contemplated what Len could possibly keep stored in such a place, but his hopes rose as a familiar voice said behind him, “Pizza’s here, Boss. Just like you ordered ‘em.”

Barry spun around to see a short man, maybe 5’6”, with a slim, wiry build, sharp features, and creases around his eyes. He looked like a young man that had lived too hard a life, but still found some way to smile. “You! You’re the one that shot me up with drugs,” Barry accused the small man.

Completely unfazed, the little guy shrugged his shoulders and lowered the three steaming boxes to the table. “Name’s Jack Conway. Just trying to help you out, kid. The rest was Boss’s orders. No hard feelings?”

The smell of tomato sauce and hot dough filled his nose and his mouth pooled with saliva. At this point, he’d shake hands with the devil to get some food. “Sure, I guess,” Barry replied with distraction as he slid into an empty chair and started throwing open the lids on the pizza.

Len’s tone was amused as he said, “Thank you, Jack. Tell Lisa that dinner has arrived.”

The little man left with a tip of his head to Len and a jaunty wave for Barry who was already liberating a slice of pizza topped with gooey cheese and crisp pepperoni. He took a big bite and barely chewed before he was cramming in another. He was still chewing when he asked, “How did you get pizza at this time of night? By the clock in your room, it’s after 2 am.”

Len settled himself in the seat next to Barry and crossed his ankle over his knee. “I own a few places in Coast City, too,” he drawled with a sexy half-grin.

The clicking of high heels echoing along the hallway alerted them to the new arrival before she appeared. Barry watched Lisa warily as she approached him with a Cheshire smile. “Hey, Barry,” she cooed, stopping by his chair to run her fingers through his still damp hair. “Having fun?”

Barry gently eased his head away from her hand and replied carefully, “Uh, something like that.”

She leaned down sniffed loudly next to his neck. With her lips tickling the shell of his ear, she whispered, “You reek of sex and my brother. I’m guessing that all is forgiven?”

Barry jerked away from her and she waltzed over to collapse in an empty chair with naughty laugh. Barry lifted his arm to sniff at his pit as Len said caustically, “Ignore her. She’s acting like a brat because she’s bored.” He turned to Lisa and added, “Behave yourself. Barry is my guest.”

“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” she quipped innocently. She turned her catlike gaze on Barry and purred, “Tell me, Barry. How is Cisco doing? Is he seeing anyone new?”

Barry took a bite of his third slice and shrugged a shoulder. “I’m not really sure. He hasn’t been talking to me too much for the past three months. I don’t think he’s dating right now. We’ve been a bit busy lately.”

Her eyes narrowed. “What about the barista?” When Barry blinked in surprise, she said with false innocence, “What? It’s not as if it’s illegal to keep tabs on the object of your affection.”

Barry choked on his fourth slice of pizza and rasped, “Um, yeah, it kind of is. It’s called ‘stalking.’” He washed down the food with a swig from a bottle of water that Len helpfully plunked down in front of him. “If you like him so much, Lisa, why don’t you just ask him out? I’m pretty sure he won’t he turn you down.”

She shrugged with forced casualness and retrieved her own slice of pizza. “I don’t do long distance relationships. It’s not like I’m The Flash and could zip over to Central City in a blink of an eye.”

Barry shot a panicked look at Len, but the man only shook his head with the barest movement. Barry sighed with relief and went back to his food. “You know, Lisa, they make these nifty conveyances called cars and trains and planes nowadays. From what I’ve seen, you and your brother are rich enough to afford any of it you want. Don’t make excuses. Just go for it. Cisco needs someone to pull his head out of his ass.”

Lisa pushed her half-eaten pizza away and drawled, “So eager to throw your friend to the wolves, Barry? Are you not content with your own place in the jaws of the beast?” She cut her eyes to her brother and grinned.

Before Barry could formulate a reply, Jack stuck his head in the door. His eyebrows were creased with worry when he announced, “Boss, we got trouble. Three SUVs just pulled up outside and Romero Moretti just stepped outta one of ‘em.”

Barry looked back and forth between Len and Jack, and ice bloomed in his stomach. Len’s face was cold and hard as he glanced at Lisa to say, “Lisa, why don’t you escort our visitors to the meeting room? I will meet you there shortly.”

Lisa stood sensuously to her feet and ran her hand lovingly over the gold gun in the holster at her waist. “My pleasure, brother dear,” she purred with obvious excitement. She strolled over to the door and looped her arm through Jack’s. “Come along, Jack. My brother has to put his toys away before he joins us.”

After they left the room, Len turned to Barry. “Barry, would you be so kind as to fetch my gear from the bedroom? I’m afraid that time may be of the essence here.”

Before he even finished speaking, Barry was a blur of electricity racing down the hall and into the bedroom. He found the case with Len’s cold gun and goggles on a shelf by the door, snatched it, and was back in the breakroom in less than three seconds. Len ignored the whirlwind of paper napkins and flying pizza boxes that didn’t survive the wake of Barry’s arrival, and he opened the case. With quick, efficient movements, Len fastened the large holster to his leg, fit the gun inside it, and pressed a button that made the gun glow with blue light and emit a high-pitched whine. He grabbed the goggles and pulled them over his skull until the eyepieces were balanced on his forehead in anticipation of quick use.

“I don’t suppose it would do any good to tell you to wait here?” Len drawled, his eyebrow arched with skepticism.

Barry scoffed and crossed his arms. “You know me better than that. Who is this Moretti guy?”

Len sighed and replied drily, “Moretti is the biggest player in the criminal underworld in Coast City. It appears that he’s not too happy that I’m close to taking over the title.”

Barry was afraid of that. He rubbed his face wearily before responding, “Okay, so he’s here to…what? Parlay? Kill you?” When Len just stared at him with exaggerated sarcasm, Barry rolled his eyes and spat, “Great. He’s here to kill you. What the actual fuck, Len? Why are you putting yourself and Lisa into this position?”

Len strolled toward the door and didn’t look back as he said, “It’s what I do, Barry. I will always be on one side of a gun or the other.” Barry jogged to catch up and fell into step with his lover. Len glanced over at Barry with quirked lips and said, “You know, you’re not exactly dressed for the occasion, Barry. Don’t do anything stupid. Let me handle this.”

Barry looked down at his black S.T.A.R. Labs sweats, tennis shoes, and literally nothing else. He grimaced as he replied, “Yeah, I’m kinda wishing I had on jeans and nice shirt right now. You look like a badass, and I look like a college kid during finals week.”

A surprised snort escaped Len’s lips, and Barry smiled. He loved to make Len laugh, and it happened so rarely that each time was a treasure. Len paused outside a closed door and said, “That’s not what I meant, smartass. I meant that you’re not exactly equipped to be scarlet, Scarlet.”

Barry knew that Len’s concern was in keeping Barry’s secret identity a secret, but what Len didn’t know was that Barry just didn’t care. If it came down to a decision between saving Len’s life or watching him die to keep his secret, there was really no decision to be made.

Barry closed the distance between them and ran his hand up the column of Len’s neck. “It doesn’t matter, Len. You’re not the only one that would do whatever it takes to protect what’s theirs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **You know, I just wanted to take the time to say that you guys are LITERALLY the best. Your enthusiasm rocks my world and feeds my muse. Each time y'all take the time to interact with me and participate in the story, it gives me the desire to do better, write more, and do whatever it takes to keep you guys satisfied. I'm feeling sappy over here, so I just wanted to say I LOVE YOU GUYS!**


	11. Chapter 11

Barry followed a few steps behind as Len confidently strolled to the middle of a large room within the warehouse. Before they even came to a stop, Barry was already scoping out the field for tactical advantage. If he had to use speed, it was going to be difficult, because the room was packed with people. It was easy to tell the difference between the two factions. Len’s people wore dark jeans or cargos, black combat boots, and were armed to teeth, while Moretti’s crew were all sharply dressed in tailored suits, cheap cologne, and false superiority. Moretti’s people were armed, too, but none of them had drawn their weapons. Yet.

“Romero,” Len’s cold voice drawled to echo across the expanse of the room. “I don’t remember my secretary scheduling an appointment for you this evening. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Two of the suited goons stepped aside to allow the passage of another man dressed in a designer suit that hung off his trim physique with perfection. He was younger than Barry expected, maybe even younger than Len, and handsome in a Milo Ventimiglia kind of way. The man looked completely at ease as he strolled forward with his hands in his pockets and a smirk dimpling his cheek. “Len, it’s good to see you again. Though, I was hoping the next time we met, it would be on much friendlier terms.”

Barry frowned as he watched the obvious appreciation in Moretti’s gaze as he took his time running his dark eyes up and down Len’s body. Len’s voice was lazy with indifference when he replied, “Considering that the last time we met you propositioned both me and my sister with a threesome, I was pretty sure our next meeting would go exactly like this.”

Lisa’s lip sneered and her fingers stroked the trigger of her gold gun as Moretti replied, “It was worth a shot. However, I believe I also warned you of the consequences should you continue to encroach on my territory. You’ve been a very bad boy lately, Len.”

Barry’s eyes narrowed as jealousy ripped at his insides. How dare this asshole presume to insult Len? Apparently, Moretti had no idea just who he was talking to. Len sounded bored when he replied, “And I believe that I told you that things were going to change in this city. I gave you fair warning to clean up your operation, or I would be forced to step in and take control. Since you didn’t heed my advice, I assume you’re here to tender your resignation?”

Moretti’s eyebrows flew up his forehead and he broke out into loud laughter. His crew twittered nervously as the man grabbed his stomach and wiped his eye. “I like that about you, Len. You’ve got a wicked sense of humor.” Moretti sobered instantly and his expression turned hard. “My patience with you has been exceeded. I know it was you that took out two of my men after the armored truck job. Seems you left your calling card.” Moretti’s left hand pulled out of his pocket, and with a flash of gold, he used his thumb to flip the coin to send it spinning through the air.

Without looking away, Len’s hand snatched the coin out of the air and slipped it into his own pocket. “What did you expect, Romero? I told you what would happen if your people continued to be so sloppy by killing innocents, especially if they wear some type of badge. Your people broke the rules, and I punished them.”

Moretti bared his teeth and snarled, “That’s right. They’re _my_ people, and they follow my rules, not yours. You’ve overstepped your place, Len, so now it’s time for me to punish you.” He pulled his gun from the holster beneath his arm and pointed it directly at Len’s head.

All over the room, the sound of weapons being drawn and safeties being released filled the air as every person in the room prepared for war. Except for Len. Barry twitched, but Len’s hand wrapped around his wrist to stay him. “There’s no need to be so dramatic, Romero. We are reasonable adults, are we not? Let’s settle this with as little bloodshed as necessary. How about we make a deal?”

The speed force began to cycle faster as his anxiety for Len’s safety ratcheted higher. Moretti’s tone was suspicious as he pulled the hammer back on his gun and pointed it at Len’s head. “I don’t trust anything that comes out of your mouth, Len. I would sooner shoot you and all your people now and be done with it. Your sister, though? I may just keep her for myself.”

“I would sooner slit your throat in your sleep and bathe in your blood, Romy,” Lisa hissed, her gun squealing with charge from where it was pointed at Moretti’s crotch.

Len smirked and paced closer to his enemy two more steps. “I like you, Romero. You’re smart and organized, but you lack direction and resources to increase your power base. I can provide both of those to you…for a price. Or, you can try to kill me now and likely die in the process, and you will have nothing. I’ll even give you a sporting chance. Tell your people to put their weapons down, and I will do the same. You will be the only one in the room with a gun. If you can kill me with one shot, you can take over my entire operation and network. If you miss me, however, you and your people will get to leave with your lives, but you will work for me.”

Moretti snorted, but his expression melted when Len raised his arm and lowered it resulting in his crew and his sister lowering their weapons and placing them back in their holsters. Len waited patiently, his arms folded across his chest as Moretti chewed over the consequences of this deal. Barry wanted to go over a shake some sense into Len, but he didn’t dare to attract any attention to himself. He needed to be invisible right now. He had a feeling that he knew what Len had planned, and Barry needed to be ready to act.

Slowly, and with suspicious reluctance, Moretti raised his hand and snapped his fingers. There was some grumbling and complaining from the suits surrounding him, but they lowered their weapons anyway. They didn’t re-holster them as Len’s crew had done, but that didn’t seem to concern Len in the least. Moretti’s aim didn’t waver as he replied, “This must be some kind of trick. What do you have up your sleeve, Len?”

Len held his hands out to his sides and answered him calmly, “I am unarmed and vulnerable to you right now, Romero. What do you have to lose? If you kill me, all that I have is yours with no fight. If you miss, you get to live and continue building your empire. Your people will still answer to you, but you will answer to me. This is the deal I’m offering you in order for you to walk out of here alive. Go ahead, Romero. Empty your magazine.”

Barry could feel the lightning crackling to life behind his eyes as he dug the toe of his tennis shoe into the concrete, but no one was looking his way. All eyes in the warehouse were glued to Moretti and Len. Moretti began to grin and cast a disbelieving look over his shoulder at his nervous crew. They shifted from foot to foot, clearly sensing that something wasn’t right, but Moretti was confident in his position. “It’s almost like you have a suicide wish, Len. It’s too bad things had to end like this. I would have enjoyed the opportunity to get to know you a little more intimately.”

His finger didn’t have time to press the trigger before Barry was on the move. He snatched the bullet that exploded from the muzzle before popping the magazine and retrieving the rest of the bullets. He popped the clip back into place and ran by each of Moretti’s goons to liberate their weapons from their hands and hidden holsters on their bodies. He raced over to place them at Len’s feet and dropped the bullets from Moretti’s gun into Len’s palm. He was back standing in his previous position all in the blink of an eye.

Moretti’s gun clicked empty in the resounding silence of the warehouse before all hell broke loose. Shouts of alarm rose up amongst his crew of wise guys as they searched for their missing weapons. Even Len’s people gasped and checked on their still-present weapons as curses and exclamations of shock rebounded off the steel walls. Moretti’s expression was priceless in its dismay as he continued to pull the trigger on an empty gun. The only two that were unaffected were Len and Lisa. Len turned his palm over and allowed the bullets to rain to the floor with the tinkling sounds of defeat, but Lisa’s eyes were trained on Barry with shrewd speculation.

Moretti was backing up as Len’s legs ate up the distance between them. “How the fuck did you that?” he spat as Len twisted his hand around Moretti’s tie and pulled him to within inches from face.

“It doesn’t matter how I did that, Romero. I tried to give you a chance to run a clean operation, and you didn’t listen. Now, you work for me. I expect 40% of the take off the top. What you do with the rest is your business. There will be no killing or serious harm to innocents during the natural course of your operation, or the same will befall those that break the rules. You are free to enforce the rules yourself, or I will do it for you, and will make sure you suffer the same fate. Do we have an understanding?”

Moretti snarled and jerked away from Len’s grip. He straightened to his full height and ran his hand down his tie to smooth out the wrinkles. He holstered his useless weapon and buttoned his suit coat across his flat stomach before he replied, “Don’t get too comfortable on your throne, Len. There will always be someone else that will covet the crown.”

Len simply smirked and called over his shoulder, “Jack? Lisa? Would you and the others escort our new employees to their vehicles?” To Moretti he said, “Romero, we’ll be in touch soon.”

Lisa’s heels clicked as she walked past Barry with a sway to her hips. As she drew level with him, she murmured, “Well, it appears that my brother has resolved this in a _flash_ , wouldn’t you say so, Barry?”

Barry didn’t bother to reply and slipped back into the shadows to disappear now that the crisis was over. He didn’t know how to feel about what just happened. On the one hand, Barry had helped Len ensure that the standoff would end without bloodshed, but on the other, he had just helped solidify and enhance Len’s criminal empire using his powers. His morals clashed with his feelings for Len, leaving Barry torn. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Barry is getting sucked deeper in Len's life and he isn't sure how to handle the ramifications. It's getting all tricksy up in here, y'all!**


	12. Chapter 12

Barry paced back and forth in Len’s room as he waited for the man to return. His tumbling and conflicted thoughts had demanded that Barry retreat to think about the ramifications of what he had just done. Plus, he had no desire to get caught in Lisa’s claws should she decide to track him down and demand to know the truth about just what happened in that warehouse.

The door opened to admit Len carrying the case with his gun and goggles inside it. After shutting the door and clicking the lock, he placed the case back on its special shelf and turned to face Barry. He moved to close the distance between them, but Barry backed away. “Oh, no, you don’t,” Barry warned him with his hand held out in a stopping motion. “If you think you’re going to distract me from what just happened back there by touching me, you are sadly mistaken.”

Len’s lips curled in a roguish smile and he shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. “That’s exactly why we should be celebrating right now, Scarlet. The issue has been resolved peacefully with no bloodshed. I don’t know about you, but I can think of all sorts of delicious things we can do to burn off the excess adrenaline.”

Barry’s cock twitched in his jogging pants with that idea, but he ignored his wayward body. “I am not going to fuck you after you just pulled that stunt. You used me back there, Len. Not only did you manipulate me into the position of using my powers, but you took advantage of my presence to execute a hostile takeover of Coast City’s crime syndicate.” When Len just blinked in reply, he added, “Seriously? You’re not going to even deny it?”

Len strolled over to an overstuffed, flower-printed chair situated next to the bed and sank down with a sigh. As he began tugging at the laces of his boots, he replied, “Tell me something, Barry. In all your infinite wisdom, how would you have handled that situation if you had been in my shoes?”

Barry felt like ripping the hair out of his head as he exclaimed, “It doesn’t matter, Len, because I would have never been in that situation to begin with! That’s been my whole point about all of this. You don’t have to be some kind of criminal overlord and put yourself in these situations at all. From what you’ve told me, you’re already beyond wealthy. Why not use your resources to build a legitimate business, or hell, just retire and live the good life? You don’t have to be a criminal anymore, Len.”

Len’s boots and socks dropped to the floor with a dull thud before he stood to his feet once more. His eyebrows were lowered with anger, but his tone was still even when he answered, “I thought I explained this to you already, Barry. I am a career thief with a murder conviction hanging over my head, I’m on the run from CCPD and Time Masters, and I already own dozens of legitimate businesses through shell corporations. I am also not the type to sit idly by, sipping margaritas, while the world goes on without me.” He paused to pull his shirt over his head and tossed it in a hamper. “God’s honest truth, Barry, I had no intentions of using your powers when I walked in that door. However, I saw the opportunity to not only end the confrontation peacefully, but to also seize control of Moretti’s empire, and I don’t regret it one bit.”

Barry’s eyes were riveted to Len as the man unbuttoned his jeans and pulled them down his legs. He forced his gaze back to Len’s face and snapped, “You don’t regret using me, you mean.”

Len finished folding his jeans and placed them back in the drawer before strolling to the bathroom in his boxer briefs. As he squirted toothpaste on his brush, he called back, “No, Barry. I don’t regret using your powers to help me get what I want, because what I want will benefit both of us.”

Barry trailed over to lean against the doorframe of the bathroom and watched with interest as Len brushed his teeth. “How do you figure that? I don’t want your money, Len, and I hardly see how you being a criminal mob boss will do me any good. I’m a superhero. I fight crime. It’s what I do.”

Len rinsed and spit and wiped his mouth. He opened a small drawer under the sink and retrieved a familiar toothbrush and slapped it on the counter. “Your turn,” he drawled before stepping past Barry with a brush of his chest. Barry eyed him warily, but stepped up to the sink to brush his teeth with the toothbrush he had brought to the safe house all those months ago. As Barry scrubbed his teeth, Len continued, “Real life is not painted in black and white, Barry. It’s painted in shades of gray and blood red. Take your little friend Caitlin, for example. She is sweet and helpful, but at the same time full of anger and rage that manifests itself as Killer Frost. She almost killed you, but yet she is still your friend. Yes, you are a superhero, but your job is not to fight petty human crimes. That is the job of the police. Your job, Scarlet, is to fight those that mere humans are ill-equipped to defeat. Enemies of great power like Dr. Alchemy and Savitar.”

Barry wiped his mouth and faced Len. “How do you know about all that? That stuff happened after the safe house.”

Len blinked his pale blue eyes slowly and replied, “Army of spies, remember? There’s nothing that happens in your world that I don’t know about, Barry.” He turned on his heel and walked to the bed with Barry trailing after him.

Barry watched helplessly as Len pulled the covers back on the bed. “Fine. I concede that point, but I still don’t get how you think you’re helping me by being a criminal.”

Len raised an eyebrow as he wedged his thumbs in the waistband of his underwear and dropped them to his feet. Barry sucked in a breath of awe as Len climbed into the bed and pulled up the covers to drape over his waist. He pulled his arms up behind his head and replied, “Think about it, Barry. No matter what you do or how fast you run, there will always be crime and the criminals that commit them. However, if someone powerful were in charge of said criminals, that person would be able to control the extent of the damage they cause. That person is me. I determine what jobs they take and how they are executed, all without collateral damage to innocents. Anyone that steps out of line is promptly punished. It’s a win/win for me, Barry. I may not be able to be a Legend or a villain either one, but I can at least do this.”

Barry sank down on the mattress next to Len, and because he could no longer resist the urge, he ran his hand over the cut muscles of Len’s abdomen. While Barry knew that Len’s logic had to be flawed, he couldn’t argue with the point Len made, either. Len’s methods were certainly effective, Barry had to give him that. “I just wish that things could be different. You know, for us. I want to be with you, Len, but I don’t see how it’s going to work.”

Len pulled his arm down to capture Barry’s roaming hand and brought it up to rest against his left pec. Barry could feel the strong, steady heartbeat vibrating against his palm as Len rumbled, “I know, Barry, but this is the hand that life has dealt each of us. We can either play by our own rules, or fold. I may not be able to walk into Jitters holding your hand, but I can take the human criminals off your plate. I may not be able to offer you the kind of relationship you want, but I can give you everything I am. I can’t make that decision for you, Scarlet, but if you still want me knowing what you do now, then I’m all in.”

Barry swallowed and blinked back the stupid tears that stung his eyes. He pulled his hand away from Len’s heart and stood to his feet. Len’s expression turned cold and shuttered as Barry stood over him for a long, silent moment. Without a word, Barry pulled his sweatshirt over his head and dropped it to the floor, followed closely by his jogging pants and shoes. Completely naked, he walked around the bed and slid in under the covers and rolled into Len’s chest. Len’s arms came down around him and pulled him in tight until Barry’s ear was pressed against the man’s pounding heart.

As Len reached over to turn off the light, Barry whispered, “I won’t help you break the law again.”

Len pushed Barry to his back and settled his weight along his body. Len’s hand found Barry’s jaw and he used his thumb to rasp along the rough bristles that covered his cheek. “I know, and I don’t expect you to.”

Barry’s hands snaked up the corded muscles of Len’s back as the man leaned in to run his tongue up the column of Barry’s throat. “What if I’m not there next time to save you from other criminals with guns and a grudge?”

Len’s hips bucked against Barry’s until their cocks slid against each other with electrifying friction. “Life and death will happen no matter what we do, Barry. All we have is now, and the hope for later. And believe it or not, I can take care of myself.”

Barry moaned as Len’s hands threaded into his thick, brunette locks to hold his head captive. Moments before Len’s lips touched his, Barry breathed, “Then I’m all in, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Ugh, I know! More angst, more discussion, but at least there is progress. AND SMUT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! HOORAY!**


	13. Damn It, Len!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Okay, so here's the deal. I had this beautifully romantic and passionate love scene all played out in my head from Barry's POV, but then Len happened. No lie, Barry got one paragraph into the chapter before Len straight up hijacked that shit and took over. He isn’t the easiest character to write, so that’s why I named this chapter “Damn it, Len!”, because I kept saying that over and over as I struggled to put his feelings into words. He’s not as easy and open as Barry, so it takes me longer to write from his POV, but he insisted, so I caved. I don't know what to tell you. They're not my characters, so it's not like I can control them. So...I guess Len has something to say.**

_Barry:_

This wasn’t the first time they had kissed, nor was it even the most passionate. It was different this time, though. With every brush of Barry’s lips against Len’s, he promised to protect him, he pledged his loyalty, and he offered his heart. The words bubbled up in his throat until he choked on them as he poured every bit of himself into that kiss. He wanted Len, needed him now, because without him, Barry was broken. Even the speed force within him, for the first time since that night over three months ago, was calm and humming with contentment while in Len’s presence. Like a soothing mantra, Len’s words wrapped around Barry’s heart with a warm embrace, whispering, _“…everything that I am…I’m all in…everything that I am…I’m all in.”_ This kiss was different, because this time, he didn’t have to say goodbye….

_Len:_

Len cradled Barry’s head between his forearms as he leaned in to worship at the altar of Barry’s lips. Never in his life had Len thought he would ever deserve such a gift. He knew he had done nothing to earn the complete trust and faith and hope that shone in the hazel depths of Barry’s eyes each time Len searched them. Len was selfish and violent, cold and unforgiving. So, why did Barry look at him as if Len was the very air he breathed? Len didn’t understand it, couldn’t comprehend why Barry loved him when no one else in his life had ever bothered beyond his sister. So he kissed Barry with every foreign scrap of tenderness in his soul, because Barry was the one that deserved that kind of devotion. Not Len. He would never be worthy of Barry’s heart.

Len loved the taste of Barry’s lips. He could drink from his Scarlet for hours and never quench his thirst for more. Barry’s essence was an elixir that thawed the solid wall of ice inside him that separated Len from the raging beast of his emotions. People thought that Len was cold, but the truth was that behind that ice resided a fiery, roaring tiger of anger, pain, abandonment, and self-loathing that Len had to freeze out in order to survive. The emotions that seethed and twisted in Len’s soul were always hungry, always seeking to lash out and kill, but with Barry holding him so tightly and making those desperate noises, the beast curled up and purred. His Scarlet’s unwitting submission to Len in the bedroom gave the beast an opportunity to gorge itself on a willing victim. And not only was Barry willing to sacrifice himself, he was eager to feed the beast until it was satisfied. With Barry, Len felt like he could finally release the fiery tiger from its prison, because Barry was strong enough to not only survive it, but he could bring it to heel. The most astonishing part for Len was that when Barry melted the ice and cooled the beast, his Scarlet still remained and demanded more. Len hadn’t even realized that there _was_ more to him than the ice and the beast. Until Barry.

Len luxuriated in the painful grip of Barry’s fingertips along the muscles of his back as he sucked and pressed his teeth into the soft, vulnerable skin of Barry’s neck. He knew he got carried away with Barry sometimes and bit a little too hard for a little too long, but he always stopped short of real harm. He didn’t want Barry’s pain. Far from it. Len just wanted Barry to _feel_ him. He wanted to leave a piece of himself behind so that Barry would never forget him while he was off risking his life to save the world. He wanted Barry to have a reminder that Len needed him and wanted him to come back where it was safe.

Len was convinced that Barry would never be as well-protected and defended as he would be by Len’s side. It made no sense, and no matter how hard Len tried to dissect it in a logical manner, he couldn’t shake off the compulsion. He knew that Barry had abilities that allowed him to defeat evil over and over again, but the world was so much bigger than just Central City. Len knew what evil lay in the hearts of ordinary men, and Barry was especially vulnerable to it. Barry was too kind, too compassionate, and too optimistic, and the real world could rip him to shreds faster than any metahuman. Len had intimate knowledge of that evil, and he was the only one equipped to protect his Scarlet from that hell.

Len threaded his fingers through Barry’s and pinned them to the pillow at each side of his head. He gazed down into Barry’s eyes, and even though the only illumination was from a small window, he could still see innocence, valor, and bravery staring back at him. It humbled Len terribly. “Promise me something, Barry,” Len demanded. He knew he had the power to force Barry to do anything Len desired, but all Len desired was for Barry to be safe and happy.

Barry’s long eyelashes kissed his cheeks as he blinked up into Len’s gaze. “Anything,” he whispered. So trusting. So willing to obey.

Len dipped down to reward Barry with a sweet, lingering kiss before he murmured, “If you ever feel like you need help, in _any_ way, promise me that you will tell me.”

From his peripheral vision, Len watched the knot in Barry’s throat bob before he choked out, “I promise, Len.”

It wasn’t enough. He knew how noble and self-sacrificing his Scarlet could be. Barry would break his promise if he thought he was doing it to protect Len, and that just would not do. Len licked and dug his teeth into Barry’s lush bottom lip before finally releasing him and adding, “Never forget that I have eyes everywhere, Scarlet. I want to hear from you at least once a day when you can’t run here to see me, or I will just show up and start shooting things, and you may not like the results of my brand of help. Understand?”

Like the sun breaking through a cloudy sky, Barry’s smile lit up his face and illuminated his eyes with a flash of pale blue lightning. Len caught his breath at the sheer beauty of the speed force that coursed through his Scarlet’s body. He had witnessed Barry’s eyes crackle with orange lightening at least a dozen times, but he had only seen the florescent blue bolts once before. It had been the last time they had made love before Len forced him to leave. Barry had just fractured apart in Len’s arms in the most devastating display of total abandon that Len had ever seen, when Barry had locked eyes with Len and started to confess, _“Len, I lo-“_. Between that moment and the few seconds it took Len to claim Barry’s lips in order to silence him, Len had seen that ghostly indigo lightning flickering behind Barry’s eyes. What did it mean that was happening again? Now?

Laughter danced around the corners of Barry’s smile as he teased, “Oh, my God, Len. Did you really just threaten to kill people if I don’t call to check in with you first? What happened to good old fashioned flowers and chocolate? Maybe buy me dinner? It’s a lot easier than threatening to rain down death and destruction upon my enemies should I get a hangnail during a fight.”

The beast inside him chuffed with amusement as Len arched an eyebrow and drawled with exaggeration, “Barry, flowers die, I already feed you, and I will buy you all the chocolate in the world if it is liquid and I can pour it all over your body. I’m just asking for one phone call a day. That’s not too much to demand.”

Barry’s hips thrust against Len’s, but devilry colored his tone as he asked, “What if I want to call you more often? Maybe send a few texts here and there? What if I want to send you some dick pics?”

Len growled and pressed his cock deep into Barry’s abdomen until the speedster gasped. “You talk to me anytime and anyhow you want, but I better never see a picture of your cock come across my phone. If you have time to send a picture, you have time to speed your ass over here and show it to me in person.”

Len watched as the pulse in Barry’s neck jumped and then began to race while his entire body broke out in gentle tremors with the power of the speed force. He could always tell when Barry was about to lose his grip on it, but Barry had come to trust Len to help control it. However, Len knew that he wasn’t really doing anything at all. It was all Barry. Barry was so strong, even stronger than he realized, and all Len had to do was just be there to provide an anchor. It was really Barry that controlled the volatile and powerful gift that raced through his blood, not Len.

He waited while Barry wrestled for control of his body, and rewarded Barry with another slow kiss when he calmed.  “You good?” he asked his breathless Scarlet.

Barry panted a laugh across Len’s cheek and rasped, “Yeah, I’m good. I don’t know if I’ve told you this before, but when I’m with someone and I’m… _aroused_ , the speed force kicks in and my body begins to move so fast that I become a blur.”

Len snorted a breath of amusement into Barry’s ear as he purred, “Smartass. Are you saying that I aroused you, Barry?”

The enjoyment of the carefree moment faded from Barry’s expression to be replaced by a predatory lust that shimmered in the reflection of his eyes. Barry licked his bottom lip slowly before he replied, “Like you wouldn’t fucking believe.”

Len gasped and his stomach somersaulted as his body skipped time like a needle crossing a scratch on a vinyl record. He blinked and found himself on his back with Barry looming over top of him with a satisfied smirk. Len closed his eyes to allow his stomach to catch up with the rest of him and said through gritted teeth, “What did I say about using your powers during sex unless I say so?”

Barry slid a hand between their hips and fisted Len’s cock. “I think we’ve already proven that I’m not always going to follow your rules.”

Len thrust into Barry’s grip and a grunt of surprise was ripped from his throat when Barry’s hand began to heat up until a low-level hum of electric charge flowed from Barry’s fingers and into Len’s cock. “Oh, _fuck_!” Len gasped as the charge radiated out from his cock to send tingles of teasing pleasure to the furthest reaches of his body before rebounding and returning to his cock to gather more strength.

Barry’s voice curled confident and powerful in Len’s ear when he purred, “It appears that you don’t seem to mind my powers now.” Len couldn’t argue with that; he was too busy fighting back the urge to come as his cock just got harder and pulsed stronger with each jolt of the speed force that Barry fed into Len’s body. “Let’s see what happens if I turn up the juice.”

Len’s mouth opened in a wordless cry as Barry pushed more of the current through his hand. Len had never felt anything like it before in his life. It felt just like it had when Barry had snatched Len away from the exploding Oculus and ran Len back to the ship, except this time, Barry was speeding Len toward a very powerful and very violent climax. The ease with which Barry was able to wrest Len’s control away stole the breath from Len’s lungs. Before he could panic, though, Barry pulled the speed force back into his own body and slowly removed his hand.

“Don’t worry, Len,” Barry whispered in between lingering kisses across Len’s chest. “I’ve got you. I would never take anything from you without permission.” As Len panted and grappled to hold on to the reigns of his climax, Barry added, “But I would love the chance to have control from time to time.”

Len flared his nose as he continued to take deep, calming breaths. His cock was so swollen with blood that it ached to be released, but Len was determined to win in the battle of wills between him and his wayward body. When he had pulled himself sufficiently back from the brink, he growled, “Maybe next time. Right now, you’re going to get the lube, slick my cock, and ride me.”

Barry’s lips curled in a devious grin, but he did as Len commanded him. Len watched through hooded eyes as Barry retrieved the bottle of slick before resuming his position straddling Len’s thighs. Len hissed through his teeth at the feel of Barry’s hot, slick palm sliding up and down Len’s tortured shaft with firm, leisurely strokes until Len dug his fingertips into Barry’s thighs with a growl of warning. Barry winked at him with a flirty grin and gripped Len’s cock as he maneuvered himself until the crown of Len’s cock was poised at the entrance of Barry’s body.

“You realize that I’m in the position of power right now, don’t you?” Barry said, his tone cocky and confident as he rubbed the slick knob over and around his opening.

Len’s body broke out into a sweat with desperate desire as he replied breathily, “You always have been, Scarlet.”

A fine tremor chased over Barry’s frame and he moaned as he fed Len’s cock into the snug holster of his ass. Len cursed at the feel of Barry’s channel squeezing him so tight even as it sucked Len in deeper. Barry was panting and trembling as he braced his hands against Len’s chest while he continued to slide down Len’s cock until his ass was flush with Len’s thighs. Len had to close his eyes tight against the sight of Barry’s long, lean body towering over top of him while the muscles in Barry’s chest, abs, and thighs flexed and released with each swivel of his hips. In that moment, his Scarlet was too beautiful, too otherworldly for Len to gaze upon with the naked eye. His brilliance seared Len’s soul until every black shadow was burned away and every dark, hidden secret was revealed for judgment. Barry literally brought light to Len’s darkness and forced him to be a better man.

It didn’t take long at all for Barry’s body to acclimate to Len’s thick length stretching and filling every bit of empty space inside him. Barry rose up on his knees and sank back down with a guttural groan, and his hands trailed up and down over Len’s chest with possessive ownership as he set a slow, tortuous pace of riding Len’s cock. Len braced himself and held on tight to his control and Barry’s hips as the speedster moved over top of Len like a seductive siren of legend who was determined to lure Len to the sweetest death in his arms.

Barry’s hand, still slick from the lubricant, slid up and down his own swollen and leaking cock as he continued the erotic push/pull of Len’s cock. Len knew he wouldn’t last much longer, not after Barry had driven him so close to the brink already, and he seized the reigns of control from Barry by knocking his hand aside to claim ownership of Barry’s cock. “That’s mine, Scarlet,” Len snarled as he snapped his hips upward to bury his cock deep in Barry’s ass. “Only mine. The only hand that will spill your release is my own.”

Barry threw his head and cried out as Len squeezed and milked the head of Barry’s shaft while Len’s other hand forced Barry to ride his cock harder and faster. “God, Len,” Barry gasped as his body fought to impale himself on Len’s cock and thrust his shaft through Len’s hand. “You own me, body and soul. Only you. _Only you_.”

Len’s beast roared its agreement and salivated with anticipation of devouring the offering of Barry’s climax. Len’s hand sped up and his thumb slid up and down the crease of Barry’s crown until the speedster began to shake and his stride faltered. Len took over by bracing his feet against the bed so he could power his hips to thrust deep into Barry’s clenching, velvet sheath until wordless cries of ecstasy ripped from Barry’s throat. “That’s it, babe,” Len coached him with deep, rumbling words. “Give me everything. I want it all.”

The tendons in Barry’s neck stretched taut as his ass slammed down against Len’s thighs before his body stiffened and shuddered with each wave of climax that washed over him. Len continued to milk and coax each spray of hot seed that erupted from Barry’s cock to baptize Len’s chest as he grinded and drilled his cock ever deeper into Barry’s ass. When Barry’s cries died down and his body went limp with exhaustion, Len pulled his Scarlet into his arms until Barry’s nose was buried in the crook of Len’s neck. Now that he had taken care of Barry, Len could get on with the business of finding his own release.

He circled his arms tight around Barry’s narrow waist and used his leverage to plunge his cock in and out of the slick, tight confines of Barry’s ass. Barry was limp and pliant in his arms, even as he feathered light, airy kisses against Len’s neck, and Len luxuriated in the freedom he found in claiming Barry’s body for his own. Len could feel the coil of his release winding tighter and gathering strength with each thrust until it sprang loose with a yell of triumph. Len’s cock erupted with furious waves of his come that he continued to push deeper into Barry’s body in a desperate attempt to plant a part of himself inside of his Scarlet forever. He shuddered and cursed softly as Barry stroked a soothing caress across Len’s racing pulse as he crooned, “So good, Len. So right. No one takes care of me like you do. No one possesses me like you.”

Len closed his eyes and basked in the warm glow of Barry’s love. It shone down upon the barren fields of Len’s heart, its healing and nurturing rays sinking deep to bring Len’s heart back to life. It scared Len to realize exactly how much power Barry held over him as the speedster wrapped Len in silky chains with his words and his touch until Len was reduced to a quivering mass of need and want. He pulled Barry in tighter against his chest and squeezed until Barry squeaked with protest before he loosened his hold to run his hands up and down the lean muscles of his Scarlet’s back.

Len knew he had to say something, anything, to express his gratitude and awe to Barry for the gifts he bestowed upon him, but he knew the words wouldn’t come out right. He didn’t know how to adequately explain to Barry how he made Len feel, because the emotions were so foreign to Len that he didn’t even know how to explain it to himself. All he knew was that he needed Barry more than he needed air to breathe, and he would never be able to let him go again.

Len swallowed and cleared his throat as Barry’s eyelashes fluttered and tickled against Len’s neck. “Will you come back to me every chance you get?”

Barry’s lips smiled against Len’s pulse as he whispered, “So often that you’ll probably get sick of me.”

Len rolled Barry gently off his chest until they lay side by side, chest to chest. He framed Barry’s jaw in his palm and replied, “I will never be able to get enough of you, Barry. I thought I could let you go for good, but I was only fooling myself. I will be right here waiting for you each time you run back to me.”

His Scarlet’s bottom lip trembled before it stretched into a sweet smile. “And I will always come running straight back into your arms. Where I belong.”

Len closed his eyes against the foreign prickling sensation Barry’s words ignited, and leaned in to seal their bargain with a kiss. He pulled away, tucked Barry’s head against his chest, and murmured, “Get some rest, Scarlet. I’ll keep you safe until it’s time to race off and save the world tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Well, this marks the end of Part 2 of my series. No fears, though! I think there is at least one more part in their tale, and i will get to work on it today or tomorrow. I can't thank you guys enough for all the encouragement, praise, and feedback you have lavished on me during this process. Each one of you are amazing, and I consider you all my friends. See you soon!**


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